Step Behind Humanity
by AlphaDelta1001
Summary: Gohan had lost his left arm at the Cell games and has now replaced it with a machanical limb. How will the young Saiyan get through highschool and keep this secret hidden, as well as his other secrets?
1. Saiyan upgrade

DRAGONBALL Z

STEP BEHIND HUMANITY

**SAIYAN UPGRADE**

Prologue

_**4 years after the Cell games**_

_**Son residence**_

Chi-Chi was busily preparing food in the kitchen for her two half Saiyan children, Gohan and Goten. Goten, who was present in the dining room was sitting at the table playing with his knife and fork and waiting for the food to arrive while Gohan, being absent like he always was, was outside training.

But, being the woman she was, Chi-Chi knew that young 15 year old Gohan would always come back home for an hour and a half for breakfast, lunch and dinner, or if he was needed for urgent business or a job. She didn't have to worry though because Gohan was nearly never home and was mostly outside, by himself.

Even though she didn't know what other emotions were flowing through the young Saiyan's mind these days she did know how he felt. Following the incident after the Cell games Gohan was taken up to Kami's lookout and healed back to full health, well… about 80 anyway. At which Gohan was finally healed the young Saiyan remained unconscious for some unknown reasons.

For the entire half hour the Z-fighters were up on the look out Gohan remained unconscious. And for another five hours Gohan remained fast asleep as he was taken to Capsule Corp and was surgically operated on, a procedure that was personally overseen by every single Z-fighter that was present at the Cell games. They all held there breath and watched intently as Gohan went through a rare change and applied with technology rarely used, a situation that wasn't very enlightening to them.

When the procedure was complete, Gohan finally came too, only to find that he wasn't exactly… him anymore.

The instant he woke up he took off for home where he explained to his mother the day's events and what had happened to him only briefly, after which he headed up to his room and stayed there for the next few days before he started to occasionally exit his room and for the outdoors for some severe and punishing training sessions.

The fight at the Cell games had left Gohan scarred because of the bit of his humanity ripped from him, literally. Not only had he lost that huge chunk of his own being on that day, but he had also lost a part of his soul. Now, almost every day, Gohan would keep to himself, keep silent and never talk and walk around with that same state of unhappy glimmer in his expression and eyes. At nights Chi-Chi could hear Gohan training outside, heck he didn't even sleep anymore, he was so restless. And, on rarer occasions, she would sometimes walk by his room and hear the faint sobbing of the crying Saiyan, an emotion he refused to show and had discarded long ago.

In the past, Chi-Chi and the entire family would usually get together with the other Z-fighters and try to celebrate their freedom with each other. But what was there to celebrate now that Goku was dead and their now strongest and beloved fighter, who was once the worlds most happiest and gifted child was now a cold, emotionless teenage boy that didn't believe in anything.

They had tried to help Gohan, even tried curing his injuries that were now a curse with the Dragon balls but were unable to. The Dragon Shenron said that it wasn't within his power to grant because Gohan's injuries were beyond repair. Gohan considered it a curse and a punishment of his own doings back at the Cell games because it was something you could never be rid of and something that would remind you of the costly mistake you have done all those years ago for the rest of your life.

Chi-Chi was so busy humming to herself while she cooked lunch that she jumped at the kitchen door slamming shut, causing the Son woman to turn in the direction of the person walking through the door beside her. She nearly screamed when she saw the bloodied up and battered state that was Gohan, his hair all messy, his black and red gi torn in several places as well as faded and dripping wet with sweat and blood. Gohan was breathing heavily, his breaths coming out raspy as his eyes stared at his mother. Because of his height and age, he was only just a few centimeters taller then Chi-Chi.

The Son mother breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized Gohan.

Lightening up a bit and deciding to have another try at getting to Gohan's good side, Chi-Chi smiled up at him and spoke. "Hi there sweetie, how did training go today?" she asked in a gentle tone of voice while addressing her son.

Gohan stared at his mother with the same, cold expression he wore whenever he was in a bad mood but, unexpectedly shrugged and turned on his heel, heading towards the dinner table. "I'm fine…" he replied in a softer voice that surprised the Son mother. And that was it. Those were the only words he spoke before he reached the table where Goten was sitting.

The miniature version of Goku lit up at the sight of Gohan and shuffled in his seat, waving his hands towards Gohan as if wanting to be in his brother's arms. "Nii-chan… your home", chirped Goten happily.

The fifteen year old Gohan turned towards his little brother, seeing the right young child smiling up at him happily. The instant Gohan laid eyes on his brother, the young Saiyan's expressions softened into a smile and, turning his attention away from the chair, walked over to Goten and collected him up into his arms. Goten laughed happily and gave his brother a big hug around the neck while Gohan nestled the young child in his arms and rocked him gently.

Pulling off slightly, Goten smiled down at his older brother and ruffled his hair. "How was training big brother", asked Goten. Gohan grinned slightly and set his brother back down in his seat.

"It was fine Goten", replied Gohan, ruffling his little brother's hair just like he had done to him before taking his seat next to the chibi. As soon as Gohan sat down, Goten began jabbering and talking about what he had done in the morning and talked about other interesting stuff that happened. Gohan listened into Goten as he talked and nodded every time so to inform his little brother that he was listening.

Unbeknown to the pair, Chi-Chi was watching them from the kitchen, a smile spreading across her lips and happiness forming in her eyes. Of all people, the only person Gohan would only ever show any signs of life and kindness too was towards his little brother.

No matter how hard anyone else tried to get to Gohan, they had tried and failed miserably, only getting nothing or a mere growl in return. Gohan's emotional wall that barricaded him and the world around him from reaching each other made him a soulless figure among society. An empty shell…

Chi-Chi took her seat at the table after piling up the tons of food she had cooked especially for and soon enough, the Son family of three began to eat. While Goten was shuffling down food like there was no tomorrow, Gohan and Chi-Chi ate at a steady pace. There was another thing Chi-Chi had noticed about her son, he had lost almost all bad habits and habits he had inherited from his father besides the urges to train. He just didn't eat, sleep or make himself useless. If you asked him something he would do it without any complaints. Well, he wouldn't say anything anyway.

As they ate, Chi-Chi could not take her eyes off of her eldest son who was at all times, lowering his left hand and cracking his fingers as he moved them about stiffly. However, there was something else keeping her eyes on her son and it wasn't just the cracking of his fingers and knuckle on his left hand.

It was the same reason that made Gohan the way he was, cold and emotionless as well as impossible to reach. The same chunk of his being that had been replaced by a colder, soulless material was making those cracking noises. Gohan's left arm also stuck out from the rest of his limbs and form as it was shining bright silver and making a strange, inaudible whirring sound with each movement.

At the Cell games, Gohan had saved Vegeta's life on that day when the Android came back to life, but at a terrible price. He had lost his left arm on that day, and there was no way of replacing it but with a mechanical limb. Bulma had done Gohan a big favor but even though Gohan had thanked her for it, he couldn't bring himself to face his family and friends anymore for what he believed to have done, believing his overconfidence and Saiyan side at the Cell games had blinded him, leading to his father's death.

His entire left arm had been cleaved off from the shoulder. So to not stand out from the rest of his body parts too much he reluctantly wore a thick, black glove of leather material over the mechanical limb so to cover up all the components and itself. The material used in his full arm glove had the same thickness as his regular skin and muscle tonnage but was less lifelike then ever.

Whenever he was indoors, he could remove the glove and use his new custom-made limb freely without drawing attention and thanks to his ki manipulative abilities, the arm was practically unbreakable, completely resistant to heat, cold, high voltage and any other source of harmful resource or energy. Gohan had learnt to use this new limb over his years of having it and because of his knowledge on technology and math, he was able to tinker with his artificial arm, enhance its abilities and improve it to allow the same flexibility and sensitivity as his other, real limbs.

All in all, his new limb was so well made it could be classified as his actual and/or original left arm. But there was one complication that made it incomplete. The arm he had was constructed without the living tissue to cover it up. Bulma had offered to apply the same living tissue to his arm just like how Android 16# or 17# had but Gohan refused, wanting to keep his metallic arm in plain view so to remind him of the mistake he had made at the Cell games.

After a painfully silent dinner, Gohan finished his meal and carried the dirty dishes into the kitchen for cleaning. He helped his mother with the dishes, the older woman hoping to get at least a small conversation going with him. But after futile tries, she was unable to reach him.

When the dishes were finally washed, dried and stacked away along with the kitchen utensils Chi-Chi had used, Gohan left upstairs to take a shower and then on afterwards would retreat to his bedroom for some study time. He brought Goten with him so that he could teach the chibi Saiyan a little about the stuff he learned. He did this on a regular day to day basis, the small study sessions giving Gohan the little time he had to spend with his little brother because Goten was usually over at Bulma's playing with Trunks and what not.

But if you ignored the fact that Gohan was not acting his usual self, life as everyone knew went on as normal.

* * *

_**Two months later…**_

It as night time and the entire Son household was silent. Chi-Chi and Goten were already in their beds sleeping off the day that had just passed by. It may have been tough for them but has been equally tough for Gohan who was still sitting awake in his room at his desk, tinkering away at his arm.

The young Saiyan's room was dark and with his door locked no one would be able to intrude while he was repairing himself. The only source of light that made visibility possible was the lamp at Gohan's desk that was lit, lighting up the entire wall and side of the room and giving Gohan the light he needed to see what he was doing.

Laying across the wooden surface of Gohan's desk were not just books on Capsule Corp. technology and pencils but warehouse tools as well as other instruments Gohan used to fix up and fiddle on his arm. There was also a drawer next to Gohan where he kept some spare parts and extra gear so he could use in emergencies or as just in case pieces.

A small key welder was held firmly between the young Saiyan's fingers of his right hand as he busily welded a new support joint on his upper wrist close to the finger ligaments. His knowledge on technology served him well as well as his knowledge on human anatomy, allowing him to combine both subjects together and have a better understandment on his own self. It was this ability of intelligence that allowed Gohan to improve and enhance his arm to meet his purposes and right now, he was just making some final adjustments to his arm before he applied a new piece of technology he had been designing over the past few weeks.

Once his joint was in place he busily hacked away at the melted metal, taking out the unnecessary melted tacks before pulling out from his drawer a small piece of machinery that looked to be a small motor. It was actually a pivot device that allowed Gohan's limb to perform movements of his hand the same way it did on his right hand. He was thankful for the gear Bulma had lent to him, using the spare parts to create his own device of his own creation.

With his left arm still lying on the desk with his wrist still facing towards him, Gohan took out a small pocket knife and started digging into one of the flexible armor pieces donning the lower part of his wrist. With a few hacks, Gohan managed to flip the metal away and, after laying his knife down, he pulled out a screw driver and stated screwing out the four nails holding the shock metal of his lower wrist in place.

The rectangular metal soon came free when all four, brand new nails were screwed out and the metal flipped away, still attached to the arm on a single hinge. Underneath the shock absorber metal was the old system that Gohan used to move his upper wrist that was linked to his upper arm, allowing his brain waves to pass through and command his arm like a regular arm. It was this small system that also allowed flexing of his joints as well as movement of his wrist.

After carefully examining the small piece of machinery embedded in his arm, Gohan took out a tube like tool with a silver, smooth cylinder surface and pressed a button on the bottom of the tool. Instantly, a metallic suction cup with drills on the four sides surrounding it appeared on the other end of the tool and, using this, Gohan held the plunger like took above the exposed piece of machinery and brought it down, the four drills connection with the four sides of the box motor.

With a loud hissing sound, Gohan pulled the old motor out, the shiny surface dotted with all sorts of microscopic computer chips. The moment Gohan had disconnected the small piece from the rest of the motor systems in his arm he could feel his hand and wrist go limp; his metallic, smooth fingers stopped twitching. He ignored it though.

Examining the less durable piece, Gohan dropped it on the desk and used the same tool he had used to pull it out to put the new motor into the now empty space.

With a loud click and a hiss, the motor fitted into place and held firmly, small wires and components surrounding the motor appearing and sticking into the small device, connecting and holing it in place. it was a new, upgraded version Gohan made so that it didn't have all the exposed microchips dotting it.

With the new motor in place, Gohan felt his arm come to life again and sensitivity return to every part of the limb. Gohan could feel his fingers start to tremble and twitch, just like his regular arm.

After flexing the tight flexi armor across his arm and moving his fingers about to get used o the new feeling, Gohan laid his arm back down and flipped the shock system over the motor, pressing it in so that it fitted and then pulling out his screw driver, drilling the nails back into place and tightening the fitted piece of metal in. When the shock metal was placed back over the new motor Gohan pushed the flexi armor piece covering the shock system back over the shock absorber, using his small welder to weld it in where it fitted.

When the process was complete Gohan lifted his arm effortlessly and started moving it around. He smiled in success as this new limb felt just like his right arm, completely replacing his left arm.

"_Finally'_ Gohan thought, pulling his glove from beside him and slipping it back over his arm, pulling the straps and tightening it into place. _"Good as new…"_

After flexing his gloved arm a couple of times, he caught a shine of silver out of the corner of his eye and looked back onto his desk. What he saw was the shining arousal can with the words _CC replacement skin_ written over its smooth surface. Gohan stared at the can for a moment or two in thought but frowned and, grabbing the can opened his drawer and shoved it in.

That can was the latest invention he had created in his free time. He made it in the form of a idea that had crossed his mind after one of his training sessions but had discarded it, figuring that he deserved the arm he had now and had no need for a layer of artificial skin over it.

He still hadn't gotten over that day at the Cell games.

* * *

What do you think? Its just something that I thought about while watching I-robot and Terminator and after watching the Cell games when Gohan was hit by Cell's attack while saving Vegeta, this story came into my mind. Its experimental and I'm giving it a whirl.

Please review...

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Highschool!

DRAGONBALL Z

STEP BEHIND HUMANITY

**HIGHSCHOOL**

Chapter 2

_**7 years after the cell games**_

Chi-Chi was looking over the brochure she had managed to pick up from her trip into the City and sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She knew that Gohan would never forgive her for this but the decision has been made and the deed has been done. She hoped that her son didn't blow up at her when she announced this and she hoped that he wasn't in a bad mood. But she figured that being at home all day and night and just hanging around by himself outside was unhealthy and not good for his social skills. The young half Saiyan needed to get out more.

Tossing the folded up paper onto the lounge room table, the Son mother fell back onto the couch, spreading her arms out and letting out a sigh of relief, allowing herself to relax for once. All thoughts were focused around the brochure she had collected and that time she called the principal about Gohan's sudden transfer into their school. Come on, a first day of high school can't be that bad… could it?

The opening of the front door and it instantly shutting caught Chi-Chi's attention and she looked to her right to see her eldest son Gohan walk into view from the hallway in his battered up state. She was thankful that her son didn't over do it this time because at least his body was intact without a scratch to be seen and his clothes weren't that ruffled up. Still, it didn't mean he wasn't sweating a whole lot.

Just before Gohan could pass by, Chi-Chi called to him. "Gohan, could you come here for a moment, I need to talk to you", said Chi-Chi. Gohan, thankfully not in a bad mood today looked up at his mother, the same sorrowed expression on his face.

Blinking a couple of times at his mom, not noticing the brochure's and paper work on the table, Gohan reluctantly turned on his heel and walked over to sit on the couch on the opposite side of the central table and sat down, his eyes cast downwards towards the floor. Chi-Chi smiled up to him and, hoping for a positive result, slid the brochure on the table over to him. Out of the corner of his eye, Gohan saw his mother slip the brochure across the table and, in curiosity, looked up.

Blinking a couple of times at the advertisement, Gohan swept it up in his left hand and, after examining the cover over a few times opened it and read its contents. However, he knew from first glance what kind of an advertisement brochure this was. Chi-Chi smiled as she watched Gohan read it and, figuring it was better now then never, she spoke.

"Gohan… since you are home a lot and don't really socialize much with other people, I've decided to send you to this school", said Chi-Chi. Blinking in surprise, Gohan sharply looked up at his mother from his reading. It was an unexpected turn of events that were bestowed upon him and in his shock he threw the brochure down on the table and stood up, startling the Son mother.

"What", Gohan demanded. Chi-Chi merely smiled up at him, her eyes moving to the brochure then back up at him in a non hand gesture. She was just briskly pointing out the school's picture so to help her with her explanations.

"I figured it would be a good change to send you to school honey. You've been home schooled all your life and never really had a chance to hang out with other people your age. I think you should perhaps get out and study freely while spending some time out in the public. I think that this would hold some benefits for you Gohan", said Chi-Chi. Gohan was still mortified beyond belief and while his mother was talking he started pacing left and right, rubbing his forehead as he absorbed the information being passed on to him.

He hadn't expected something like this to happen because he had thought that his mother had a good sense of what was right. He had displayed over the years subtle hints of depression, including his big hit with anti-social behavior and unhappiness but even after everything he has done and has been through, his mother suddenly from out of the blue says he is going to high school!

Turning towards her after she had finished Gohan was looking quite over stressed. "Mom! How could you… you know I… uh…!" he stammered, trying to find the right words and use the correct sentences to express his objections. His embarrassing display of stammering didn't get him anywhere and so he failed miserably. Taking in a few deep breaths, Gohan restarted off clear and simple and began speaking in a much calmer and controlled voice.

"Mom", he began to say slowly. "You know the condition I am in and you know how much I resent going out into the public. And after all these years why send me now", asked Gohan. Chi-Chi frowned and stood up while placing her hands firmly on her hips and glaring daggers at her son.

"Because Son Gohan, I strongly believe that people around your age should be mingling around and enjoying life as it is. It has been seven years of peace and yet you haven't lived up to it, you haven't been enjoying yourself the way I or you have wanted it, all because of you arm", said Chi-Chi, pointing out Gohan exposed mechanical limb. "I'm sending you to school not just for studying, but to make some friends and perhaps get a girlfriend!" Gohan looked at his mother oddly as stars appeared in her eyes and her face lit up as if a light were shining down from heaven. "You know how much I want grandchildren!"

Gohan blinked a couple of times at his mother but then, when realization dawned on him, he let out an upset sigh and raised his left arm. After looking his bionic limb up and down, he looked back up at his mother and held up his arm so that it was in plain view of the Son woman. "But mom, look at me. If I go out in public with this and I'm exposed, all our secrets will be revealed and our privacy and peaceful ways is shattered. Do you want T.V crews all over our front lawn, asking about the boy who defeated Cell", asked Gohan. Chi-Chi shook her head.

"No…"

Gohan glared at her. "Then why send me there when if I'm discovered God forbid, everything on top of this will come crashing down on us like a ton of bricks!" said Gohan firmly, lowering his arm. Chi-Chi crossed her arms over her chest and stared at her son seriously.

"Well, I'm sorry Gohan but it's for your own good. You'll just have to wear that glove of yours. I'll write a letter to your school saying that it is necessary for you to wear that and I'll have Bulma's word to back you up on it. School starts tomorrow", said Chi-Chi. Gohan sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his right hand and taking in a deep breath of air to compose himself.

"Alright", Gohan said firmly, giving up. "I'll go. I suppose it's for the best then". Gohan then looked up at his mother with an upset look on his face, surprising Chi-Chi a great deal. Her son looked rather hurt now. "I hope you've made the right decision…"

With that, Gohan turned on his heel and left the room, walking back up to his bedroom. Chi-Chi followed her son to the hallway and watched as he entered his room and closed the door, locking it shut.

She then just stood where she was and stared. She had never seen or felt Gohan like this, he had never acted so… down and so negative about anything except the death of his father. She had expected him to blow up like Vegeta and burst out in anger but she was shocked that Gohan could put on such restraint on his already unstable emotions. Perhaps the piece of his soul missing from him was a part of Gohan that didn't matter. But someone without a full soul does matter, every piece of he or she matters.

Chi-Chi had always felt sorry for her son and it just broke her heart to see him like this. She had once held in her arms a child full of light and hope, a child who held a lot of promise. But now, that child of hers was snatched away from her, leaving Gohan as cold as ice itself. When she came to think about it, perhaps that part of Gohan's soul taken from him was happiness, the part that made Gohan so naive and childish.

* * *

_**The next morning…**_

After packing his bag and zipping it up, Gohan stood up and flung it onto his shoulder. The contents weighed down on his shoulder but didn't lurch the young Saiyan one bit. But it didn't stop the bag from not having weight. Gohan on the other hand couldn't even feel the weight.

Making sure that everything in his room was neat, tidy and in place with no loose ends to cover up, Gohan left without a second glance, shutting his door behind him and locking it so that he would have no intrusions. Not that the locks of the door would work against a semi powerful chibi Saiyan like Goten who had the capability of destroying a planet as well.

Walking down the hallway and down the stairs, Gohan met the two other members of his family at the dining table in the kitchen, both Chi-Chi and Goten waiting for him patiently. When they saw the young Saiyan enter their midst, both their faces brightened at the sight of the newly dressed demi-Saiyan. Goten was overjoyed to see his loving brother and Chi-Chi… well, she was just awed by her son's new look.

Looking Gohan from head to toe, Chi-Chi could barely recognize him. Though Gohan's hair remained the same spiky style that defied gravity with the symbolic bang and single strand of hair hanging in front of his forehead, his appearance fitted him into the crowd completely. He wore blue, tight jeans that hugged at his lower body, a black long sleeved shirt that was also tight and practically almost showed off everything and a grey vest over it.

Chi-Chi let out an appreciative moan, making Gohan's expression fall a little at the tone in his mother's voice. Anything like that meant big trouble for him later on in the day ahead of him. "Oh Gohan, you look so handsome. I bet girls would absolutely love you!" exclaimed Chi-Chi in satisfaction.

Gohan shuffled on the spot and shifted his bag uncomfortably. His clothes weren't uncomfortable it was just the feeling he had deep in the pit of his stomach. How did he get himself into this mess?

"Mom, please don't embarrass me", mumbled Gohan, walking through the doorway and taking his seat at the table beside his brother, hanging his bag on the support bar of his chair so that it was in easy reach. Once Gohan was seated, the three members of the Son family started eating.

During their 'small' feast, Goten couldn't help but look his brother over. Just like his mother he could hardly believe Gohan was wearing something other then his gi and as it had been established before, he looked different. He looked more… colorful.

Goten smiled brightly up at his older brother beside him who was eating at his regular slow and sedated pace. "Nii-chan, you look awesome! Can I wear something like that too", asked the chibi Saiyan. Gohan would have scowled at any comment like that made by anyone else and, instead of doing so turned to his brother and smiled.

"If you really want to, maybe mom can find you something like that to wear", replied the young Saiyan. Goten cheered happily before diving back into his breakfast and beginning to eat away again, bits of rice and food flying everywhere. Gohan chuckled at this and turned back to his meal. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't help but see how much Goten was like his father.

A few minutes later Gohan, Goten and Chi-Chi finished breakfast and quickly collected the dishes and brought them to the kitchen. It was here Chi-Chi excused her older son and handed him his lunch for the day. After which the half Saiyan took the bag of snacks, Gohan wasted no time and immediately headed out the front door and took off for school.

Sprinting a few yards across the grassy ground his home was built on, Gohan powered up and sharply took off into the skies above, his golden aura bursting around him as he took flight. Ever since Gohan transformed to Ascended Saiyan the young Saiyan's aura had gone through a strong development. No longer was it a white aura that shone against the clear blue skies but a golden aura that lit up the darkness, representing his incredible heritage legend.

With his golden energy trailing behind him, Gohan vanished into the horizon beyond Mount Paoz, his form heading northwards towards the city where his school was set. Goten had watched his brother depart for his new and unfamiliar destination and was amazed at Gohan's speed. It was rare for any of the Z-fighters, even Gohan's family members, to witness Gohan's training and incredible power in action. Goten, who was now the closest to his older brother had caught glimpses of Gohan's power in the past and couldn't help but be amazed by how much more powerful Gohan was to him and everyone else he knew, even Vegeta.

Waving out the window, Goten watched as the golden trail of energy left behind by his older brother slowly vanished, fusing in with the earth's energy in the skies. Once it had all disappeared and all that was seen was the blue skies and white puffy clouds, Goten lowered his hand. "Bye Nii-chan…"

* * *

Gohan stared ahead of him as he flew onwards. He hadn't seen the outside world for quite some time but was still well aware of the social life. After past experiences with his family and friends how could he forget!? His mother had practically dragged him and his father into the city for shopping and other purposes he dared not to remember. Those times were both amusing but embarrassing at the same time.

Gohan's eyes sparkled with unshed tears at the memories of his father reappearing in his mind but he quickly blinked his tears away when he noticed his visibility going blurry. He sniffed and looked down at the valleys and roads passing him below. He was getting close to Satan city now…

"Dad", he whispered to himself. _"If only you were alive today… I miss you…"_

His clothes, though tight waved slightly in the winds of his energy along with the bag that hung tightly from Gohan's shoulder. It was only the return of sound to Gohan's senses did the young Saiyan snap out of his thoughts and look back up. On the horizon, Gohan could see the tall skyscrapers and vast cityscapes of Satan city appear, the sun rising from the mountains behind the incredible eye sore.

Staring at the city, Gohan let a small smile spread across his lips. _"Oh well"_, he thought to himself. _"Here goes nothing…"_

Believing that his aura would be sort of a give away, Gohan powered down so that he was flying normally without the use of his aura. But despite his loss of speed and power, the young Saiyan still flew at an incredible speed that would make Vegeta's speed look like a joke.

Flying over the cityscapes far below, Gohan looked left and right and up and back, examining his new surroundings. With his enhanced Saiyan vision and quick reflexes, he was able to create a mental map in his head of Satan city so far and it looked as though he would be able to find his way through easy. He was beginning too believe he would actually fit in but one glance down at his left arm changed all that when he saw the black glove covering his hand and upper arm which was hidden by the long sleeve of his black shirt.

He scowled and clenched his fists, the creaking and cracking of metal from his artificial arm and hand ringing in his ears. _"Stupid Cell… I wish Dr. Gero never created him. Fucking androids!"_

Returning to the real world Gohan looked back ahead of him and, beyond his sights over a few tall office buildings in the distance Gohan could see a clearing in the city with a large, orange painted building gleaming like a jewel in the distance. Blinking, Gohan enhanced his vision ten fold and on closer inspections, Gohan could see that the orange building in the centre of the clearing in the cityscapes was his high school.

"_Finally… I'll have to set down somewhere else though. I don't want to attract too much attention."_

Looking around, Gohan finally found a spot to settle down. It was a quiet area several blocks away from his school. His choice of landing spots came in the form of a dark ally in between two office buildings, each about 6 stories high and concealed by other taller, surrounding buildings. With very little people walking around and with basically everybody on the move to notice anything, it was the perfect spot to make a secluded landing. It would be weird for anyone to see someone just fall out of the sky and land in front of them, it would scare the crap out of them.

Quickly so no body would see or hear him, Gohan dived down into the ally, face first but then, just as he reached the height of the 6 story buildings, he flipped back so that he was diving feet first. Keeping off the walls a couple of times so to slow himself down, Gohan landed firmly on the concrete floor in between the buildings that made up the dark ally. Of course, landing wasn't really quite a strong point for some fighters as Gohan's landing proved that even someone who can fly still had weight. Upon landing, the impact with the solid ground created a thud that echoed down the gap created by the office buildings either side of each other.

Quickly standing up, Gohan backed up into the brick wall and glanced to his sides to make sure nobody had been watching him or had seen him land. He felt relief spread through him when he saw nobody and, still with a hint of caution, Gohan proceeded onwards. It looks like it was on foot from here for him.

Stepping out of the ally Gohan began his long walk, his school bag hanging at his side from his shoulder. Since it was hanging on his right side, he held it with his right arm and not his left. Come to think of it, his left arm was feeling rather stiff.

While walking, Gohan noticed the strange tightness of his left arm and glanced down at his soulless limb. He saw that his hand had unconsciously clenched into a fist. Because his left arm was less like his original limb, it gripped far more tightly then his right, especially when steel finger tips could dig into his glove and damage it, exposing what his left arm really was. He had to relax.

Taking in a deep, comforting breath of air, Gohan loosened his grip and reached up with his right knuckle, wiping a drop of nervous sweat that had appeared on his forehead. He was really tensed and stressed; he needed to relax a bit more. He was still concerned about the day ahead of him.

Letting his thoughts at rest for a moment, Gohan concentrated on the task ahead of him, and that was getting to school in time without running into any trouble. But unbeknown to him, trouble was just lingering around the corner.

Gunshots! Gohan's head perked up when he heard the sounds of projectile weapons firing and looked from left to right in surprise, his ears working at full pelt to try and locate the sounds location. Past experiences with firearms were still fresh in his mind, especially when they were fired at him.

After looking from left to right, Gohan finally found out where the gunshots were coming from and quick as the Flash himself, he sprinted down the street till he reached the crossroads ahead of him and skidded just past the corner of a tall building. Once he had stopped and he was looking down the street to his left from the direction he had been previously walking in, he was met with a totally different scene that had sprung up from out of nowhere. And he had suspected this to be a peacefully neighborhood.

Just a couple of buildings down the road there was a convenient store and quite a big one but that wasn't important. What mattered most was staring Gohan in the face and he didn't like it. Parked outside the convenient store was a blue jeep and outside defending the jeep were three men dressed in full on leather outfits wearing black shades and black handkerchiefs strapped on so to hide their mouths and noses so they couldn't be identified. They were also wielding MP5's and were currently shooting at a lone police vehicle and two policemen. The policemen were armed with the occasional revolver and both were firing pump action shot guns at their targets. Both parties were engaged in a fierce firefight but it was obvious the police were outgunned and outmanned.

Gohan stared at the firefight for a few seconds before looking around the street. The damage wasn't as bad as it looked but there were a few shot up cars from all the miss shots and people hiding behind whatever they could for cover. Some people were screaming in fear, too scared to move or make a break for it. It was chaos, but Gohan wasn't affected by the conflict in the least. Projectiles fired against him were proclaimed more then useless.

Frowning, Gohan looked back on the scene and sighed, pulling the bag from off of his shoulder and laying it behind the building he was beside out of sight of any wandering eyes. A new objective had reached his mind and it was to stop the criminals attacking the law enforcers in front of him.

"_Stupid crooks, they never learn. Whenever I ran into a bad guy he had the capability in destroying a planet. This is plain ridiculous",_ Gohan thought. Glancing over his shoulder behind him and looking around him, he made a decision. His expression unchanged from its usual displeased look, Gohan looked back towards the firefight._ "Guess I'll have to resolve this the hard way!"_

In a flash, Gohan transformed into a Super Saiyan as his hair flashed into its symbolic yellowish white and his once black eyes turning teal. It only took a brief second to transform and when he did, he vanished into thin air.

The police had just emptied out their shot guns and were reloading them, shoving the red shells into the top barrel slot in a desperate attempt to return fire again. It was during this time Gohan made his attack on the ever frantic criminals defending their getaway vehicle. They should have escaped when they had the chance.

The crook standing closest to the back of the vehicle was just shoving another magazine into his machine gun when he suddenly had his weapon kicked out of his hand and an elbow smacked across his face. His glasses cracked at the same time his face was left with a dark bruise and an elbow imprint. Before his gun could even hit the floor, he did, dropping in an instant in an unconscious heap.

Hearing their friend fall, the remaining two bandits looked beside them in surprise, brandishing their weapons. One of the bandits was standing by the door to the vehicle while the other was standing at the very front of the jeep. They were to experience the greatest shock and pain of their lives as they were quickly cut down by a mysterious golden haired warrior.

The first of the remaining pair to fall was the bandit closest to the doors of the vehicle. Backing away as the golden haired boy slowly approached, he threw his machine gun to the floor as his MP5 wasn't loaded and pulled out a pistol. Before he could point it and fire off a shot, he was suddenly smacked in the gut by a quick upper cut, making him hunch over from the blow and drop his weapons. Before he could even loose consciousness, he was repeatedly punched across the face, first by a left hook, then a right and then by a dozen or so light punches before he keeled over backwards in an battered, bloodied and unconscious heap.

The last man was quick to react but instead of using his MP5, he dropped it and reached to the front bonnet of the jeep. Opening it, with great effort the bandit pulled out a massive gun Gohan saw was a mini-gun, its six barrels aimed at him in a threatening manner.

Loading it with a yell, the bandit pulled the trigger and began blasting hails of bullets away at Gohan, the hot orange projectiles flying through the air straight at their targets. Unfortunately for him his efforts were in vein as the bullets repeatedly slammed into their target's chest, torso and face but all rebounded ineffectively. Gohan grunted indifferently and began approaching, at the same time the bandit backed away.

After about 100 rounds were fired from his stashed weapon, the mini-gun ran out of juice as the magazine emptied instantly and the bandit dropped the weapon. After which he pulled out his revolver at his side and aimed it straight at his target's forehead.

"What the hell are you!?"

Gohan didn't react to that and, after walking up to the remaining bandit, vanished into thin air before the bandit could fire a single shot. Much to the bandit's bewilderment and fear, he had no time to act as he was elbowed in the back of the head, the blow sending him falling forward and landing in a crumpled mess on the hard concrete floor, unconscious. His pistol lay just a few feet away by his side.

Seeing his targets downed and out, Gohan was about to leave when he suddenly heard someone come up behind him and glanced over his shoulder. To his surprise, he saw a raven haired girl standing behind him, her hard yet beautiful blue eyes glaring up at him. The girl had her hair done up in two, unbraided pigtails, was wearing a oversized white T-shirt, black bicycle shorts and identical green Capsule Corp. boots with purple socks.

The two of them stared at each other for quite some time before the girl standing behind him spoke.

"Hey, who are you?" she demanded more then asked. Gohan blinked. He hadn't expected for such a rough question to issue out of the girl standing beside him now that he had turned around a little. He was even more surprise at the tone he sensed underneath that rough image displayed before him. This girl was a lot softer hearted then what he saw now.

His expression unchanged, Gohan turned and vanished, his afterimage following after him. The girl was rather shocked to see the figure she had been staring at just vanish and once his after image was gone, she held out her hand and waved at the spot the blonde haired figure once stood and found that there was no physical evidence of him left behind here… here whatsoever! How startling and bizarre…

"_Who was he? I had never seen such a display of strength, speed and agility before in my life except from that tape of the Cell games from those people. Weird",_ she thought.

"Oh, Miss Videl! It's you", said one of the policemen from the shoot out before coming up to her, his shot gun slung over his shoulder. Snapping out of her stupor, Videl spun around to face the tall cop, her thoughtful gaze changing back to its regular cold but puzzled expression. "Didn't you see that boy, wasn't he amazing or what?"

Videl blinked. "Of course I saw him. Was he one of your men", asked Videl. The policeman chuckled.

"What you think I would keep someone like that as my partner in the law enforcement business? No way, but if I did have someone like that I'd just sit back and watch him deal with it. But I must say that was a spectacular performance out there", he said, whistling in amazement while tipping his hat. "Boy he was incredible."

Videl frowned. This new gold fighter was stealing her job. But she had to admit that guy was strong and quite handsome too.

Shacking her head to deny her wandering thoughts, Videl turned back towards the crime scene, seeing the other policeman cuffing the criminals and hauling them over to their jeep so that all three of them lay in their group. After that he started collecting the weapons lying around, not wanting the scene to go any more out of control then it already was.

Sharpening her stare in anticipation to her thoughts, she turned to the spot where the blonde haired man once stood. After coming that close to him she was able to catch a good view of his outfit and appearance. She found it odd that the guy wore a black glove on his left hand and not on his right hand too, but maybe it was just to make him look cool. Either way, it was her only lead to discovering who this gold fighter person was.

She smirked. _"Watch out blondie, because you're next on my list…"_

TO BE CONTINUED…


	3. Unfolding events

DRAGONBALL Z

STEP BEHIND HUMANITY

**UNFOLDING EVENTS**

Chapter 3

_**Orange Star high school…**_

The hallways, courtyard… heck the entire structure was filled with the hustle and bustle of students of all races, color and creed alike, and all the teachers and staff that sail within her. If you were to remove all sound from the world around the school then listening intently, you would be able to hear every word each student said as the large crowds and groups made enough sound to share amongst the entire population of the city itself.

The brightly colored atmosphere added to the color itself as the students of the school made their way to their designated meeting areas or classes they were to be in for their lessons. You could see teenage girls moving around in packs only to break up when they had to get to certain areas. The entire male population itself had their own clubs and gangs formulated and most of the time too had to split up. The individual population though had their own agenda but then when it came down to it, the hallways and courtyard were soon empty as the countdown to the start of school drew nearer starting at the ten second mark.

When the count had reached initiation and was over, the bell sounded, letting everyone know that the start of another long and boring day of school had started. Much to most of the students' displeasure they had lessons on their timetable they didn't want to pull through and were forced to go through it against their own will. But as they say, that's life.

The day had gotten off to a slow start for room 101 on the ground floor as the students already assembled in that classroom were still waiting patiently for their teacher to arrive. Most of the students would relive the little time they had and socialize amongst each other while many others hoped that the teacher would be late and that they would sail through the first two hours of lesson time as a bludge and get to recess easily where most of the fun began. Others not among those two categories would mind their own business.

For Videl, it was just another time she would use to talk to her friends and get to link up with some of the gossip running around. Since she was a tomboy and not that much of a social person because she was so hard and hot headed, she didn't fit into the chain of gossip that well.

Sitting atop of her desk, Videl glanced over at her friend Eraser who was busy filing her nails. If it were anyone else, she wouldn't have rolled her eyes since other girls did it every now and then. Eraser did it almost every time she was with her. Now it was either for a special occasion or for the purpose of doing it just for the sake of it. After seeing Eraser blow on her nails and twiddle her finger a bit, the blonde haired girl turned to her friend and raised an eyebrow, noticing Videl's glare.

"What", Eraser asked with a shrug. Videl was gob smacked.

"What do you mean 'what'", replied Videl, "You know perfectly well what I mean!" Eraser smiled smugly and continued filing her nails, ignoring her friend's protest filled stare.

"Of course I do Videl and you know my answer. I must always keep myself well set as well as well dressed. Who knows what kind of guys you might meet in a day", replied Eraser, her nose held up high in a pompous sort of manner. Videl was still in disbelief. She had known Eraser for a long time and ever since she started this nail filing and pretty princess business, all the blonde ever got was criticism from her peers and teachers, and perhaps one or two dates, as well as one or two dumps courtesy of Eraser's pecking attitude. She just couldn't stick with one guy.

Videl frowned at the hyperactive blonde. "How can you meet _that_ many guys in one day? Why don't you stick with Sharpener", asked the raven haired girl. Unfortunately, Sharpener had happened to be sitting next to Eraser and because Videl was practically the centre of the start of their conversation or argument, she was well heard among their group.

Sharpener, the muscle bound guy with girlish blonde hair glanced over at Videl on the other side of Eraser, his hands behind his head as he rested back on his chair. "Because she says 'all I am to her is a good friend'. As for you, you practically blow up at anyone who asks you out on a date", said Sharpener. A sudden thought crossed his mind and he turned his head fully towards the raven haired girl with a curious expression in play. "Why are you so anti-social Videl? Why don't you just go out with a guy you like?"

Videl scowled at him. "Because all the guys in this school are pricks and I don't like anyone here! I have my reasons so leave it at that. And the reason I won't go out with you is perhaps the same reason Eraser has only a few chapters ahead when you find out what sort of a person you really are", said Videl. Sharpener chuckled and shrugged, moving his face back in the direction of the ceiling and closing his eyes, relaxing.

"Hey, come on Videl, I try, don't I", he replied, "It's pretty obvious all girls like bad boys. Am I right." Videl threw her legs over the desk and dropped into her seat.

"These days that's all they like. But girls completely ignore the fact that most guys in this school have a lack of human decency as well as a moral centre. They show no consideration towards other people", said Videl. "I just might add that guys are a stuck up, intellectually inferior bunch of gorillas looking for a good time."

Sharpener grunted. "Well at least some of us try", he whispered to himself, hoping Videl wouldn't hear. Ironically she did at the raven haired girl sat up, her chair's legs skidding across the ground. Her sudden stand and movement caught the attention of most of the students around her and on instinct, most of them backed away, knowing her strength and reputation as Hercule's daughter.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY", she screamed. Sharpener was saved from a ruthless beating when the teacher walked in and the chatter in the class was silenced. Videl's anger dropped instantly when she saw the teacher and, thankful that he didn't notice the brawl that was about to up rise within the class, sat back down as if nothing had happened. The teacher was completely indifferent to the situation and knew very well the influence he had on his students.

Walking across the room towards his desk on the far corner of the black board by the windows, he laid his gear and suitcase on the desk and cleared his throat. Straightening his glasses and bow tie, the white haired teacher who had to be at least around his 80's spoke up, well aware of all the students' eyes and attention directed towards him.

"Good morning class", he addressed towards all the teenagers sitting up in the stands in front of him.

"Good morning Mr. Costner", replied the class in exact unison as they had done for the past few months upon arriving here in their senior year. The teacher nodded in appreciation and moved on, laying his hand on his desk as he continued speaking.

"Today we will be blessed with a new student who has suddenly decided to join us in the middle of our semester. He has traveled a long way to get here so please, I want each and every one of you to make him feel welcome and accepted", the teacher began.

Excited chattering and mumbling erupted in the class as each student communed with the person sitting beside them. They were excited about the prospect of a new student and wondered who he was. It was quite established that it was a guy and so it made the girls even more ecstatic. Questions burst into their minds on queue and as for those questions under the category needing to be answered, everyone waited in anticipation for the moment of truth and revelation.

Videl cringed when her friend Eraser, though she used a whispered tone, her high pitched voice made it loud and almost pierced her ear drums. The hyper-active blonde beside her had stars in her eyes and her hands firmly clasped together to show her excitement.

"Oh, a new student! I bet whoever it is he is handsome hunk and a sportsman", she exclaimed. Videl rolled her eyes and propped her head on her hand and cast her gaze back down at the teacher in boredom.

"_That's normally what all the guys are these days. But that's just the problem, they're muscle bound, dumb asses with no respect and dignity with the only objective of making a girl their own",_ she thought, rather disappointed at how the world was developing these days.

The chatter shortly died out when the teacher cleared his throat to get their attention again and as soon as silence rang out in the entire class again, the teacher went on. Mr. Costner turned towards the door, his glasses flashing and nodded. "Now! With the honor and pleasure of introducing our new student to our class, I would like each and everyone one of you to welcome Son Gohan! That's your cue lad."

All heads in the class turned towards the door in turn. It was then they noticed that the door the teacher had opened to access the room was partly opened and because it was half closed it blocked out view of the new student that would be joining them. Videl, who acted different to everyone else, still had her head propped up on her hand and merely had to turn her gaze towards the door. From her position, it was easy to see everything and everyone in the class. The same question on her mind of who this new guy was was the same question lingering on everyone else's minds except she wasn't that enthusiastic about it. However, their questions were soon answered as the student entered the class.

Videl got the biggest shock in her life at the sight of the new student entering her class and immediately had a change in opinion. Her eyes widened in astonishment and she gasped in registration. The same effect of the grand entrance for this new student went through every other girl's minds and they all sucked in air in a gasp. It was like cupid had used a shot gun instead of his regular bow and arrow on all the girls in the class.

Stepping through the door wasn't an ordinary guy but perhaps one of the most well dressed and handsome guys they had ever laid eyes on. Unlike the other guys in the class this guy had the whole package, and not something you would find in a jock or nerd. He looked and seemed smart, wore clothes that suited his exterior as well as had a well made up build under those tight clothes he wore and to top it all off was that he had a mature, serious and handsome face.

Closing the door behind him, the young man stopped and looked up at all the students staring at him from above, his eyes shifting over the entire class, taking in appearance and sense. In a flash, he managed to capture all faces of all the students, memorized each and everyone one of their ki signatures and from observations, was disappointed. However, there was one girl that sort of stood out from all of them and from closer inspection he saw that the raven haired girl sitting beside a blonde haired girl was the same girl he met at the convenient store. He also took note that all the girl's expressions in the class were one of utter shock and he suspected that it was him that was causing it.

Sighing in distaste, Gohan walked over to the front of the class, feeling everyone's eyes still pursuing him. _"Why did mum have to do this to me? I could be training now, but instead I had to come here."_

The teacher smiled kindly as Gohan came up to him and stopped at his side, a couple of books held by his side and stance perfect, fit for a fighter. He was definitely a student that would surely succeed in his classes. From what he read, this boy had quite the brains. All the teacher had to do was look at a student, no matter who he was and easily determine whether he would do well or not and was trustworthy. This boy definitely fitted the picture.

After taking in the new student he turned back towards the class and lifted a hand towards the young Saiyan. "Ladies and gentlemen this is Son Gohan. Though he has joined our class on short notice it must be known to you that he has achieved perfect scores in English, Math, Science, Physics and Chemistry, Home economics, SOSE… all of the subjects in the entrance exam, many of you might want to take some time to get to know him better and perhaps introduce yourselves to him", said the teacher. Gohan had to scowl. He did not like the sound of what the teacher had said, especially since he has already captured the entire class's attention on first appearance.

The girls nodded dumbly while still staring at the new guy while the male department merely scowled at him, jealous that he had managed to capture the attention of all the girls in the class. More surprisingly, he had also caught the attention of one Videl Satan. Eraser was the first to notice this and, breaking her gaze away from Gohan turned to Videl to see her attention fixed squarely on the boy with a mixture of awe, astonishment and shock. Eraser waved her hand in front of her and clicked a couple of times but gave up when she got no response.

The teacher smiled when he received no comment and half expected it to be of Gohan's doing that he had such a strong grip on the class now. But anyway, ignoring the fact that the students were partially listening to him, the teacher turned to Gohan and pointed towards the stands in a gentlemanly manner so not to be rude. "Mr. Son you may sit wherever you wish", he instructed. Gohan turned to his teacher and, paying his respects the way his mother had managed to hammer into him a short while ago nodded.

"Thank you sir", he replied. Taking this with great approval, the teacher moved to his desk and sat down, leaving Gohan to ponder over where he should sit. He didn't have to search long though and immediately found a seat, high up in the stands beside the girl that had caught his attention previously. Seeing that it was the only seat available, he reluctantly made his way up to that seat and, passing by the other students sitting in the isles, reached the row in his sights a few seconds later. He carefully avoided pinching fingers from the female body as he was not in the mood to get pricked in the ass by flirtatious girls. He wasn't so sure about the guys though.

Stepping down the row Gohan came up to the raven haired girl sitting beside the empty seat and gripped the chair in anticipation. Looking up at her, he saw her attention squarely fixed on him as if captivated. Not wanting to draw more attention to him Gohan made up his mind and spoke. "Excuse me, may I sit here", he asked.

Videl, realizing he was speaking to her nodded and immediately turned her head away to hide the blush creeping up onto her cheeks. Even his voice was something to admire. She was hoping that the new guy and every other student didn't notice for it would ruin her reputation. The students may not have noticed, but Gohan certainly did but he shrugged it off.

Pulling out the seat Gohan sat down beside the raven haired girl and upon sitting down, pulled his books and pen out, ready for the lesson ahead. The teacher, who had recently been sitting behind his desk sorting through some paper work was now standing in front of the black board and writing down the work he would be setting for the students in the class. His voice had been droned out in the back because his back was turned and for another good reason. The students cared little for the teacher as the work he handed them was boring and a waste of time. Well, not on his watch but for them definitely.

While Gohan was busy skimming through the pages of his Exercise book, he became well aware that the raven haired girl beside him was looking in his direction. To his annoyance, her gaze was too intensive for him to concentrate, what with his senses on full alert for anything out of the ordinary.

Giving up in resisting the girl's gaze Gohan turned in her direction and glared at her, seeing Videl gasp and turn away quickly before he could see her intent stare. Gohan was able to catch a glimpse of her looking at him though and, after seeing her avert her stare grunted and turned back to his work. The last thing he wanted were people staring at him.

Videl glanced back over at him when he turned away, the warmth in her cheeks failing to subside as well as her blush and sudden attraction towards this young male. She couldn't help but allow the smile tugging at her lips to emerge into a smile that showed how approving she was of him already. Her reputation and authority over herself wouldn't have allowed her to fall in love but this was different. She couldn't help but feel attracted to the young man already, even though she knew very little about him. It was only after a few more seconds of staring at him was she interrupted by Eraser nudging her arm, making Videl turn and glance at her friend in question.

"What?" hissed the raven haired girl, a little irritated at being interrupted from her observations and day dreaming! Eraser was unfazed by the girl's reply and smiled, gesturing over towards the young Saiyan sitting beside her with a suggestive grin.

"Enjoying the little show he's offering you", she asked. Videl looked a little taken aback, her cheeks flushing a bright red again.

"W-What", she asked. Eraser giggled and nudged her suggestively while giving her a wink.

"You know what I'm talking about. You really like him don't you", rephrased Eraser, believing her previous saying didn't really help. Of course this one didn't either, well, for Videl's stupor which suddenly dropped at a dramatic rate and her tough as nails attitude came back into play as quickly as her shocked side had surfaced before hand.

"No", Videl protested. "I-I don't like him! Heck, I don't even know him that well to be acquainted with him", she replied, believing it was convincing enough for her friend.

Eraser didn't and crossed her arms. "Well, by the way you were looking at him I'll say you do. If a guy as handsome as him could catch your attention than certainly he would be able to capture every other girl's attention. Besides…I know you too well Videl to not be able to read your expressions. You like the new guy, no questions asked."

Videl looked ready to protest again but stayed silent, knowing she wouldn't be able to win against her friend in this debate. No matter how hard she tried, she could not fight and win in a verbal war against Eraser. It was perhaps she mostly used her fists and strength to settle things rather then her brains. So, instead of starting up another round Videl turned her head back to her work, her cheeks still flushed red and made her face glow brightly. Such a state would be able to catch tons of wandering eyes but because it was silent work time nobody bothered nor did they care.

Collecting up where she left off she started answering the questions written on the board for her, Videl started writing again, her pencil moving over her page as she wrote down question after question to answer with the graphs to accompany them if they were needed. Some time later, after the class had finished writing down the questions and procedures on the board, went on to answering the questions and completing a few questions in their exercise books. All of this was done in silence and if you were to listen closely, you could hear the clock's gears moving. It was a calm atmosphere almost, but quite annoying to some people's taste's as they wanted to talk with their friends and what not. Videl wasn't harassed by this since during her time of solving these boring equations she had taken to glancing to her left toward the new guy.

Videl watched as he continued to write answers down in his book, moving thoroughly through the pages and, amazingly enough, at a rate that no other student could. He was moving through this subject like a pro. Not only was he good looking but was also smart… no doubt about it. However, Videl wasn't that concerned with his intelligence, but by his appearance. During the time he was looking through his exercise book and skimming through his work book, Videl took her time in looking him over from head to toe. Like all the other girls in her class, she was impressed none to say the least.

He wore tight blue jeans that showed off his perfect lower half, a tight black shirt that gave everyone full visibility of his excellent and unique physic, and a grey vest that added to the texture of his outfit. His neck had muscular thickness and his face… there were no words how handsome he really was in her eyes. However, just as Videl was looking up his broad shoulders and solid chest, something out of place caught her attention: his left hand. If anyone was to look at him at first glance they surely wouldn't have noticed it but from closer inspection it stood out plain and simple. It seemed kind of odd that Gohan, a normal guy, would where just one glove.

Her gaze remained firmly locked on that glove and as she was staring at it, she turned her head slightly back to the front of the room and raised an eyebrow. Her expression turned serious and curious as she looked over this strange hand covering. This made her think.

"_Strange… now where have I seen a man with a glove like that before",_ she wondered, _"and more importantly, why does he have only one glove on?"_

It was while she was staring at his gloved hand was she drawn back up to his face, which was coincidentally turned towards her, his hardened eyes glaring at her and a serious expression edged on his face. Videl gasped in surprise but looked away and back down at her work, hoping that he wouldn't press the matter further. Unfortunately he did.

"Why were you looking at me", he asked in an annoyed tone of voice. His question reached Videl's ears and she shyly looked back toward him, a blush on her cheeks and her blue eyes wavering in embarrassment. She was shuffling uncomfortably where she sat. Not only did his presence affect her, but his stare seemed to send shivers down her spine; a combination of both fear and embarrassment.

"I… well… uhh…" she stammered, trying to find the words she wanted to use to explain herself but was too shy to say anything. Gohan raised an eyebrow at her then smirked, turning back to his work and starting to write again. Videl was left to unravel her puzzling thoughts yet again but wasn't left for long when he suddenly spoke up again.

"Don't get too caught up in staring at me, you've got a lot of other work to be getting along with", he continued, his pencil sketching over his page. Videl then came to the realization that he was right, and also was startled that he had already finished, his books piled up in front of him and a sketch pad brought out. She wasn't left in her stupor for very long and was brought out when she noticed the time and immediately got stuck back into her work. It may have been her imagination, but she could have sworn she heard Gohan chuckle beside her.

Just as she was working thoroughly through her workbook, she suddenly remembered where she had seen that glove before and her head shot round and caught Gohan in her crosshairs. Her expression was one of surprise and shock at the time but when she had stared at him in bewilderment for a bit of time, her expression fell to one of utter suspicion. Her eyes hardened like stones, almost like Gohan's as she fixated her best glare on him. However, she made no move to interrogate him as she didn't have that much courage to stand up to him just yet. How could you when you really like a guy and you're too shy to even speak to him?

"_Strange, his outfit has a strong resemblance to that of the Gold fighter back at the crime scene. On the contrary, he also has the same type of glove on the same hand, making it even more probable that he is the Gold fighter. However…"_ Videl's eyes shifted and locked onto Gohan's black spiky hair. Her eyes seemed to flinch in frustration as she continued to stare at him. _"His hair isn't even the right color. It's black not blonde…"_

"Miss Satan!" called the teacher, looking up from his work on his desk to check on the class and whether they were paying attention to their work. Unfortunately for Videl, she was the only one distracted from her work and was caught by the teacher's sharp eyes. The raven haired girl straightened and stiffened in her seat at being addressed, her hair almost standing on end as her head shot up and her attention drawn away from Gohan. The entire class was startled but when they realized they weren't being told off, they turned their attention towards the one who was the target of the teacher's wrath. They were indeed surprised it was the Videl Satan getting in trouble.

The teacher, seeing Videl's attention snap toward his direction way up in the stands focused his glare on her. His entire focus was directed toward her and kept a firm display as he was inwardly surprised to see Videl not paying attention to her work. She was such a devoted student but this was the first time he had seen her looking at someone else's work, or someone whichever works out.

Gohan had also averted his gaze towards the raven haired girl, his pencil still in contact with the page of his sketch book. He wasn't surprised like everyone else so his expression remained hard and steel like. Seeing as that it was none of his concern, he returned to his work. His pencil was now back on its present course, skimming over the pad, creating the image fixated on Gohan's mind.

"Yes s-sir", Videl stammered out, sweat drops forming on the side of her head as the heat of embarrassment started to kick in. The teacher scowled up at the young lady in disapproval and slowly, the teacher shook his head. His glasses slipped down his nose in that brief moment but quickly, he pushed them back up so that they wouldn't fall into a discomforting position on his nose. His eyes were once again pinned on Videl as the girl sat stiffly where she was, the eyes of many other students on her as well as his.

"I hope you are not looking at other peoples work or by any chance are talking back there, because if you are, I'm afraid I'll have to give you a detention. You know very well that in my class you remain silent unless I permit you to speak?" said the teacher sternly, raising an eyebrow towards the young student. Like all the other students, they knew Mr. Costner was really strict and ran this class by the book… his book actually. Whatever the case, all the students stood in line and always did what they were told. Amazingly enough, even most of the annoying jocks who could do nothing more then yap all did what Mr. Costner said. Videl unfortunately found herself at the swords end of the teacher's punishing authority, forcing all the students to hold their breath in fear of also being brought into this matter.

Defending herself in the only way she knew how in these situations, Videl shook her head while still holding onto whatever ego she had left, rebutting on the teacher's claim.

"N-No sir… it… it's just that I… uhh…" she began to speak but the teacher cut her off, raising a hand to cease her chatter.

"It looks to me Miss Satan that you are to busy looking about and not doing you work", restated the teacher. Videl gulped in nervousness, swallowing down her pride along with it. The teacher sighed and collected his pen into his hand again. His eyes still narrowed down on the raven haired girl but had lessened in intensity compared to what it had been moments before. "I'll let you off this time Miss Satan, but if I catch you doodling around again, I'll be forced to take action; by means of detention." With that, the teacher set back into his own work, his eyes returning to the worksheet laid out in front of him and other stuff he needed to sign and mark off.

One by one the students returned to their original activities while Videl, recovering quickly from her shock returned her gaze back to her work. Wiping away the sweat, Videl took one last glance over at the new student. Her eyes locked onto him and she couldn't help but be a bit surprised when she found Gohan lying back in his chair, arms folded over his chest and his eyes closed. A calm expression was imprinted on his face and the sense of relaxing wafted into the atmosphere around him.

Videl blinked a couple of times to admonish her surprise but a few seconds later, she smiled. If there was anything that could have lightened her up, it was Gohan's peacefulness that did.

Not wanting to be caught again and thrown into detention with some of the school's other troublemakers, Videl continued with her work. The only sounds in the class now audible to the ears were the scratching of pencils and the slow ticking of the gears of the classroom clock.

Gohan, sensing Videl's gaze avert once more opened his right eye and glanced to his right, seeing Videl's nose stuck back into her work and her pencil running feverishly over her graph pages. He watched her for a moment, then for a while… but before the time ran long, his eyes closed fully once more and he rested back. He sighed silently to himself as thoughts of the past flooded into his mind.

He would continue to dwell on these thoughts for the rest of the lesson, but one other thing became clear to him while he rested. This was going to be a long day…

TO BE CONTINUED…

* * *

**Author's note: **Sorry it took so long, but I couldn't find as much inspiration on this one. Anyway, more to come. Hope you enjoyed it...


	4. Accusations continue

DRAGONBALL Z

STEP BEHIND HUMANITY

**ACCUSATIONS CONTINUE**

Chapter 4

It was English, and the students of this new class were busy sitting about reading novels and studying for their upcoming test on Shakespeare. Unfortunately for the rest of the students, they were studying _Romeo and Juliet_ and the assignments were bloody long. Not only that, they had to debate and discuss over some of the other facts that lie in the plot of this Shakespearian story. Most students would have to rattle their brains to get the answers they needed.

Miss. Lin was the teacher of today's class. A long, black haired woman, who had to be around her twenties, wore a smart business outfit and had an intellect most of the other teachers in the school couldn't even comprehend. She was so smart that the principal even stated or pointed out that she should become an executive at Capsule Corp, but she kindly declined it, much to the students' surprise. Her discipline wasn't too bad, but she was so sharp that her self awareness allowed her to subconsciously pick up even the slightest sounds. Some of the students would say that she was as alert as Mr. Costner and had a sixth sense or something, but that wasn't true. The way she wore those thinly framed glasses, it covered up how much prettier she looked underneath them. She also had a great figure underneath all that authority she wore over her, and that's coming out of the male population of the school.

She was busy at work behind her desk marking some previous tests from her last class, her pen scrapes droned out by the silence that prevailed. The students were able to whisper among themselves but if the volume were to be brought up any higher, it was an instant 100 lines for them and a holdup in class for lunch.

Like all the classes, this one had the same set up as the homeroom and Math class for Videl, where the stands extended upwards with long isles of desks, chairs and plenty of space between each student so that when it came to a test, they couldn't copy off of anyone else around them. Because all the rooms were built like every other room, they all had the same qualities from the windows to the left from the students' point of view and the exit doors to the right. Same color, same design, and more importantly… same school.

As of right now, all the students remained silent and were doing whatever work they could to pass the time until lunch. Though, as boring as class was, they had to live with it for five days a week, 8:30 to 3:20 in the afternoon. The teachers didn't ask as much, but they did expect the students to do the work required, especially the homework and assignments they gave out. But then again, things seemed to be sliding along perfectly in English. It was just so because Miss Lin had a lot of work of her own to be getting along with, giving the students the time they needed to get on with their homework. This also gave the students some free time at the end of the day for the lack of homework. It was an almost joyous moment when the teacher told them to get on with an assignment, meaning that there would be a lot of free time at the end of the day.

It was nice and quiet and all of the students were sitting in their usual seats. Sharpener, Eraser and Videl sat together as per normal and Gohan, who was the new guy, had to take up the seat next to Videl. At the beginning of the year, the students had selected the seats they wanted and the Sharpener, Eraser, and Videl had taken up the seats in the second row to the back. Videl, being the hard to get girl she was didn't let anyone else sit next to her and only sat by Eraser, so to prevent Sharpener from performing any of his flirt talk with her. The last time he tried any of that, he ended up going to the nurse with a broken nose, a black eye and, what some students gossiped about, was a concussion. And on top of all that he was unconscious throughout the rest of the day. It took quite a while for Sharpener to recover but he eventually did. Ever since then, Videl never sat next to him again. But when it came to Gohan, who was sitting beside her quietly and not bothering to flirt with her, she could make an exception. Unbeknown to the young Saiyan, she really appreciated his quietness. It was this quality she recognized and found rather interesting in him.

Videl was quietly enjoying reading the Romeo and Juliet script amidst the silence. However, just as she was looking over the part of the Romeo and Juliet script where Romeo was speaking with Juliet from the garden while Juliet stood atop of the balcony, she suddenly heard something out of the ordinary. Looking up, distracted, Videl could swear she could hear… cracking. There was also a combined sound of metal grinding with metal with the metal units popping or snapping back into position. It was like grinding teeth but amplified to an extent where it was very, very audible.

Looking about the room, Videl tracked down the source of the noise and, hearing it coming from her left, glanced over at Gohan. She saw to her surprise and puzzlement that Gohan was tensing his left gloved hand. His open palm was clenching into a tight fist and at a painfully slow pace, was being released. He was moving his fingers too and somehow, was making these weird grinding, metal on metal, noises. Videl blinked with open eyes at the glove, hand and arm and then looked up at Gohan's face. She was more overly surprised to see the expression on his face. He looked like he was biting back intense waves of pain. Probably angered somehow, his teeth clenched and bared and his black, orb like eyes, cold as ever where glaring at his gloved arm. He was shuddering and whimpering almost in agony, but his pained shudders were so quiet that nobody could hear him. He also had sweat dripping down his forehead and temples, in sync with his wavering eyes. Videl didn't pay attention to that anyway; it was his shudders she was concerned about. The rest of the class wouldn't be able to hear it anyway since it was covered up by the cracking and crunching coming from his hand.

Soon enough, all attention in the class was averted away from work and all the students turned in the direction of the strange grinding sounds. They found it coming from Gohan who didn't even notice everyone looking at him. He didn't make any effort to tell them to stop looking at him. In fact, they thought that he couldn't even sense them looking at him. It was something that occurred naturally to certain people. Even normal people could feel someone staring at them. Unfortunately, Gohan's common sense wasn't active at the moment as he was fighting against something. Little did he know was that the teacher was looking up at him too.

Little did everyone know was that inside, Gohan was hurting. His thoughts were darkening as if he was zoning out and his eyes were constantly flashing between black and turquoise. It was a coincidence that Videl or any of the other students didn't notice this and with no interferences, Gohan was free to wander in his memories which were at this moment slowly eating away at his mind.

The pain was obvious in his thoughts as well as his appearance. Videl, seeing his state worsen by the sweat now pouring out of his head and forming a thin glaze of it was starting to fell more and more concerned about him. Miss Lin was also beginning to feel a little concerned about the wellbeing of her student and turned to Videl who was closest to him.

"Miss Satan… is there something wrong with Mr. Son", asked the teacher. Videl, turning to the teacher shrugged.

"I'm not sure Miss Lin", replied Videl, turning back to Gohan and laying a hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. She tried shaking him, but was unable to. She was shocked to feel that his muscles, as well as himself were as hard as steel. She blushed at the feel of it but her concern overran her emotions and she busily tried to get Gohan out of his state of pain.

"Gohan, are you OK… Gohan", Videl said while attempting to shake him. He was unmovable and the way he was shuddering, he was tensing in and out. However, her words seemed to have gotten to him and she didn't need to repeat herself.

She managed to get the desired effect out of him and he stopped trembling. His muscles relaxed but were still as strong as ever and his expression softened up to. His eyes, once blank have now returned to their rightful orb black. After hearing his name being addressed and with the words echoing through his head, he turned his head toward the person who was holding his shoulder. Videl, seeing Gohan return pulled back sharply, her cheeks a little red and a surprised look on her face. Gohan took in this image of her but believed it was nothing for him to be concerned about.

"Mr. Son…uhh", Miss Lin spoke up, catching everyone's attention as well as Gohan's. The young Saiyan turned to the teacher with a glare, his eyes flashing teal for a split second before fading. Videl was rather surprised to see a shade of abnormal color pass Gohan's eyes for a moment and then fade away as quickly as they had come. Now, she didn't know whether she was hallucinating or not, but she found it odd and continued to stare into his eyes for anything similar in comparison. So far, there was nothing and she turned to the teacher along with every other student who was also watching Gohan out of the corner of their eyes.

Miss Lin gulped and forced a kind smile on her face as she looked up at Gohan in the stands. "Are you feeling OK Mr. Son, because you're looking a bit sweaty there. Do you want to go see the nurse", the teacher asked and said, pointing out Gohan's previous and apparent state. Gohan just glared at the teacher and after realizing what had been happening moments before, lowered his ki. It had grown to an almost stressful level, he just didn't know why. Whatever the case, it was sure making his left arm feel uncomfortable.

Gohan shook his head and picked his pencil up again, placing the tip of it against the page of his open book. "No…I have no need for such medical attention, I'm perfectly fine", Gohan replied rather harshly. Videl couldn't help but shiver at this. It became apparent to her tat the rest of the class would have shivered to this too, as well as the teacher. Miss Lin was feeling and looking rather uncomfortable at this point but easily rubbed it off. She smiled forcefully up at Gohan again and nodded.

"OK then Mr. Son, carry on class", she said, returning to her work so to not endure the sight of Gohan's cold, hard gaze anymore. The class, not missing a beat hit their work again, making sure they did not engage any eye contact with Gohan. However, they did chance a few glances and peeked over at the young Saiyan out of the corner of their eyes. When they saw Gohan getting back to work, they were rather relieved. Videl however wasn't as she was sitting right next to him. She hated to admit this but Gohan was sort of making her feel uncomfortable as well, in both ways. Not only did she feel a strange likeness towards him, but also the fact that his cold side was getting to her. She was wondering whether this is having any other altering affects on her.

She was thankful there were none and soon enough got back to her own work. However, she couldn't shake the feeling of sensing some familiarity between Gohan and that Gold fighter earlier today. Glancing over at Gohan and focusing on him entirely, arm and all, she scrutinized him with her sapphire eyes. She furrowed her brow at him before turning back to her work, shaking her head.

"_Impossible",_ she thought, _"…there is no way the Gold fighter can match Gohan's looks and personality…"

* * *

_

_**Lunch…**_

_**Hallway lockers…**_

The school bell echoed throughout the hallways and classes, signally the end of second period. And the students, who have been expecting the bell for so long all rushed out of class, and as usual with their teacher's voice in the background telling them what homework they had to complete within the week or to do over night. The students normally didn't listen but still did their required homework nonetheless. Of course, there was the exception of free time and hanging out in between work and everything else. Everyone knows the story.

Anyway, once the bell's ringing had ended, students had already filtered out of their classrooms and poured into the hallways. The many colors worn by the students added what little brightness and mood they could to this blank and unfortunate learning centre. They dressed as casually or as brightly as possible so that they could stand out from the rest of their fellow class mates or just look good for the sake of it. Videl had problems with this dress code since she just dressed into her regular over sized white t-shirt and black bicycle shorts, no change there. It sort of bugged her because Eraser always made a fuss about her looks. Sharpener on the other hand was just a real jerk, his arrogance and ego real flaws in his system. But whatever the case, she just had to put up with them; they were her friends after all.

Gohan on the other hand didn't bother making friends. He was just so frustrated at going to school and the feeling of other students eyes boring into the back of is head during class time was really making stressed. If he had to endure any more of this, then he might as well explode. He sighed miserably when he reached his locker, the silver, platinum colored door shining beside many of other similar doors down the hall left and right. He pressed his head against its cold hard surface and hit his head against it as softly as possible, still causing a dent. _"Stupid school, wish I never came here…"_

After a while of keeping his head against his locker, Gohan opened up the steel door and immediately began rummaging through the gear he had left in there, as well as glancing at his time table he had stuck up on the inside of the door. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed what was up for P.E that was the next lesson and the final period, and in the middle of the year to. Unfortunately for him it happened to be ball room dancing. This seemed to have an immediate break down for him and he sighed in despair, hitting his head with his left hand.

"_I have a feeling this day is going to get worse before it gets better…"_

It may have taken him a while longer for him to regain his regular state of mind before finding what he was looking for. The apple he had been saving up had been sitting at the bottom of his lunch box. This was no ordinary apple though. Bulma had recently developed a nutrition enhanced fruit and vegetable garden in her stabilizer dome. Because Vegeta and Trunks had a thing for consuming enormous amounts of food, the blue haired genius decided to create food that was capable of filling up the stomach of a Saiyan with only a couple of servings of special food. No drugs used just plane, good, natural growth. As expected, it paid off handsomely.

After collecting the apple and tossing it into the air before catching it again, Gohan amazingly enough smiled and stood up, making sure not to hit his head on the frame of his locker. The most satisfactory thing for him other then training was food, and the sight of it cheered him up greatly. With his assigned food found, Gohan closed his locker and turned around. He got a real big surprise though when he found himself confronted by a very familiar figure. Standing in front of him with her hands by her sides and a curious expression on her face was none other then the raven haired girl that has been sitting beside him in the first two classes. Though he found it peculiar that she was here, he found it even more surprising that she had been standing behind him this whole time he had his back turned. How could he not notice?

Blinking in surprise in return he received a few blinks from Videl, Gohan stared down at her for a few seconds before raising an eyebrow. "Hello…can I help you with something?"

Videl stared up at Gohan for a little while longer before smiling. "Actually Gohan, I just dropped by to say hello. And for the fact that you're locker is right next to mine", Videl replied, saying the last part amusingly when she found that Gohan had sort of backed up and into the door of her locker that was right of his. Gohan, noticing this stepped aside, sweat dripping down his temple in sort of embarrassment.

"Oh, sorry", he expressed his apology. Videl giggled at the embarrassment edged on his face. Though this characteristic really would have turned some heads for any person who had been watching at the time as Videl never used such girlish moods, mostly because she was a tomboy. But since nobody had been listening or watching the pair interact, Videl had little to fear of any wandering eyes.

Videl smiled up at Gohan again and held out her left hand to him. "By the way I don't believe we have been properly introduced. My name is Videl Satan, and I take it you're Gohan", she exclaimed, hoping that he would shake her hand in return. Gohan glanced down at her hand and backed away more over, sweat now streaming down from his forehead and his teeth bared nervously. Videl was surprised none to say the least, also by the fact that his eyes were wavering at the sight of her offering a hand to him. The truth was that Gohan didn't want to shake her left hand, which meant using his gloved hand.

Feeling rather stupid, Gohan relaxed and reluctantly reached out with his left hand and as lightly as he could, shook Videl's hand. He wasn't afraid of her; he was just insecure using his accursed hand. Nevertheless, Videl was rather surprised when she felt how firm his grip was. She had never known anyone to have such a grip. It wasn't a hard grip like he was trying to break her hand; it was a grip that suggested his strength and muscles power. It was quite rare for someone to posses such an attribute. The only people she knew that had a grip like that were her father and Sharpener, but none of them even came close to this.

She shook his hand and when he released it and dropped his hand to his side, she nodded to him and stepped forward. The reaction she got from Gohan this time was when he stepped to the side and away from her. Videl looked at him with a mixture of oddness and surprise but she smiled in the end, her hand reaching for the knob of her combination lock. "Don't worry, I won't bite. It was nice to meet you Gohan", she said. Gohan stared at her for the moment before nodding in return.

"It was a pleasure to meet you too Videl", he replied. With that Gohan turned on the spot and walked out of there, leaving Videl to tend to her locker. As he was walking away, Videl turned to look in his direction. She was rather confused at the way he acted with her, especially since it was his first official meeting with her. Was he really that afraid of her? She didn't doubt the look of nervousness edged on his face but his eyes suggested something else. He was continuously looking between her hand and his hand and she immediately came to the conclusion that there was something about that gloved hand of his he didn't want anyone else to know about.

Shrugging, Videl went back to getting her lunch out. She couldn't help but let out a startled yelp when Eraser came up behind her and tapped her on her shoulder. The blonde haired teen looked at Videl oddly who was now panting for breath. The raven haired girl took in a deep breath and sighed in relief when she realized who it was. "Oh, hey Eraser…"

"Whoa girl, settle down there, it's just me. You've been acting so…well…uptight lately ever since that new kid Gohan came into the school", Eraser said, pointing out that particular fact. After looking at her for a moment, the blonde haired beauty queen grinned mischievously and poked Videl in the shoulder. "So…how was he? Was he a good conversationist? Did you ask him out", she asked. Videl gasped and blushed furiously before stomping on the ground and fisting her hands at her sides.

"NO WAY! WHY WOULD I EVER ASK GOHAN OUT!" she practically screamed. She suddenly clamped her hands over her mouth at the same time silence dawned on in the hallway.

Everyone present, either at their lockers or was wandering the halls trying to find their lockers turned in the direction of the sudden yell. They all knew who it had come from and when their eyes landed on Videl, they stared at her oddly and in surprise. They could see her standing stock straight with the dear caught in the headlights look on her face and her hands covering her mouth. In those seconds of silence, a cough rang out, another gag sounding which was quite annoying at that point.

After Videl had silenced herself at that moment, she lowered her hands and relaxed, recovering from her stupor. When the noise level returned to normal, Eraser chuckled and slapped her friend on the shoulder, thudding her with that. "See girl, every time I say that you like the guy and you deny it, the truth is always shown in your rebuttal", Eraser exclaimed. She leaned in and whispered something into her ear. "If there is, can I be the bridesmaid at the wedding", she asked.

Videl stiffened incredibly and blushed furiously. Her hands fisted at her side, just quivering to be thrown at something to calm her down. Eraser laughed heartedly at the look of embarrassment on Videl's face, her hand on her chest as she expressed her amusement. Videl cleared her throat and shook her head, her blush falling from her cheeks. She scowled at her friend and placed her hands on her hips. It was only the arrival of Sharpener was Eraser saved from an unlikely, savage beating.

"Gees Videl, that blush of yours could satisfy a tomato if you kept it up. So who're you guys talking about", asked Sharpener. He was rather bewildered by Eraser who was supporting herself against one of the lockers to keep herself from falling over from laughter. The blonde haired jock backed away from her slowly while Videl crossed her arms and scowled at the two of them, turning her body away.

"Not you that's for sure", Videl said in her usually, tough tone of voice. Sharpener raised an eyebrow and then turned to eraser to see her calming down. Her laughter had been silenced down to inaudible breaths while her body had stopped trembling.

"We were just… talking about… Videl's attraction to the… new guy", Eraser exclaimed between breaths of air, her chest heaving as she spoke and her right hand rising to wipe some tears from her eyes. Sharpener looked bewildered.

"What, Gohan?! Well isn't that something", Sharpener said with a amused grin. Videl blushed but kept her expression of absolute seriousness up. She looked away so not to chance a glance with her teasing friends and in a failed effort to hide her embarrassment. Any signs of weakness could start something she wouldn't be able to finish.

Eraser sighed, her eyes becoming starry. "Isn't it sweet: the classical, magical romance in the old high school theme? I can't wait for the wedding", Eraser exclaimed. Videl choked on that and looked over at the pair of them. She could see Eraser using her dreamy expression, her cheek rested against her intertwined knuckles. Sharpener was grinning in amusement, which was quite a stupid sight, to see the guy smiling continuously and on the verge of breaking out into laughter. Well, at least he had cracked a smile.

Videl scowled at them and growled through bared teeth, letting loose her pent of feelings at this point. "Alright, alright guys! Enough! If I say I do like Gohan will you promise to stop teasing me and not tell anybody", Videl shouted. Eraser and Sharpener grinned at each other before looking back over at their raven haired friend and nodded. Unbeknown to Videl, they crossed their fingers behind them.

"We promise Videl", Eraser said. Sharpener nodded in agreement.

"No harm shall come to you of this sacred vow", Sharpener continued. Videl stared at them oddly, considering whether she should trust them or not. But, in order to get this extra weight off of her shoulders, she figured what the hell. Letting out a sigh, she let it out, through a blush and beads of sweat.

"OK. I do like Gohan… in fact; I really, really like him. There, I said it! Are you guys happy now", Videl asked. Before she could be blessed with a proper answer, fearful and nervous expressions crossed their faces and the pair of them suddenly paled. Videl was surprised by this and looked at them nervously as well, sweat dripping down her forehead. Man, could she have really gotten to them that well?

"Umm…guys, are you OK", she asked. Sharpener and Eraser raised trembling hands and pointed at her. Well, it did seem that way. From the way they were blabbering and trembling with senseless talk, they were trying to tell her that there was something or someone behind her. It was when the certain someone cleared their throat behind Videl did the girl realize what Sharpener and eraser was trying to tell her and when she sensed who it was out of instinct, she paled before turning a deep shade of red. Her eyes widened and a fearfully embarrassed look crossed her features to accompany her elaborate display of colorful reds.

Slowly, Videl turned around and looked up the familiar muscled chest and vest up to the face of the person standing behind her. Ironically enough, it was Gohan. The young Saiyan was staring down at Videl with an odd look but was serious all the same and he had a bead of sweat on the side of his head. His appearance looked like him when he was in his Mystic state but he wasn't because his hair wasn't as defined or as stiff. Videl blushed more fiercely at the sight of him. This made Gohan wonder, especially about the part about her liking him. If he hadn't been so defensive then maybe he would have seen through to what was really going on. However, his mission here wasn't to ponder Videl's feelings for him but for something else.

"I forgot my water bottle", Gohan plainly said, not making it seem that he had become apart of this awkward moment. Videl gulped and stepped away, hands behind her back and her eyes casting downwards in shame. "Thanks", he continued, the young Saiyan walking up to his door and opening it. Within seconds, he found what he was looking for and after claiming his prize, shut his locker and walked quickly out of there. No way in hell was he going to hear another word about him out of those three, he had a reputation of his own to protect.

Watching Gohan disappear down the hall, Videl stared in that direction for quite some time, the hallway itself almost empty of all students. After a while of daydreaming and thinking with the every light shade of her blush still streaking across her cheek, Videl sighed and turned to her friends. However, when she found nobody standing beside her, she looked about frantically in surprise for Eraser and Sharpener. She found them eventually, dashing down the hall and out of sight. Apparently, they thought that Videl would have blown up at them for making her say that she liked Gohan when he was directly behind her and at a certain degree as well.

Videl however wasn't really molded into anger right now but she was a little pissed that her two best friends had ran off. After scowling after them to see them vanish beyond the corner, Videl's all natural, soft expression came into play and she breathed in again. Resting back against her lockers with her arms at her sides, Videl looked up into the ceiling. Her eyes sparkled and her thoughts ventured on.

"_Man, why is it always me? Wait…scratch that, how can I get Gohan to take more notice of me? He has been quite distant from the groups lately, and he is more stereotypical and independent then most people. If I have to get his type of guy to like me, I'll just have to confront him myself", _she thought. A smile spread across her lips and she looked out the windows in front of her, lining the walls of the hallway and revealing the glamorous beauty of the outdoors.

"_Well, dance sessions are coming up in P.E, perhaps I can use that to try and get closer to him. Thank you respective teachers!"_ her mind exclaimed. With a smirk plastered on her face, Videl stood up off the lockers and emptied herself from the now, practically deserted hallway. Her plans now lay on the task of finding Gohan and attempting to get to know him a little better. All the while, she wondered if Gohan was as good a dancer as he was at popping up out of places and scaring the wits out of her…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	5. Opening doors

DRAGONBALL Z

STEP BEHIND HUMANITY

**OPENING DOORS**

Chapter 5

_**Orange Star High school**_

_**Just outside the oval…**_

Shouts, cheers and cries of laughter and commotion echoed outside on the school grounds. None of these sounds could be heard on the insides since school is like a jail and was only heard outdoors were the sweet sounds of freedom rang out, accompanied by fresh air and wide open spaces. Here, the students were able to catch up on things they may have missed or want to talk to their friends about. Gossip would be the most common way of conversing around these parts, as well as regular talks, cell phone chats and last but not least, chat-rooms on the net. However, there were also those who didn't care much for boring chats and conversations. Most jocks would usually use this time to play some soccer or football out on the fields and the girls, especially cheerleaders, would use this time to cheer on their guys and try and chat up other guys who they knew were single.

It was of good fortune that Videl wasn't under that category. She was a tomboy no questions asked, but was also neutral. She wasn't apart of the party's of jocks, cheerleaders or any other party in the school. Well, she was highly popular, but that only puts her in a class of her own. Either way, whatever category she was in she tends to stay on her own side. Being neutral allowed her more freedom, independence and a least likely chance to be harassed or be the one delivering it. At this point, she was roaming the courtyards, hands tied behind her back and a rather intent expression on her face. Her eyes scanned forward and left to right, on the look out for anything in her best interests. But the truth was, she was looking for someone.

Sharpener and Eraser have practically vanished into thin air just about and were hanging out with some of their other friends, leaving Videl on her own. For Videl, that was a good thing. It gave her the alone thing she needed to be searching for Gohan without the risk of further embarrassment. Well, she was immensely embarrassed before hand after that sudden encounter with the young Saiyan in the hallway and the unexpected confession. That was a major blow below the belt for her, something that would scar her for life. It would ruin her reputation if word got out she liked some guy in school. It would even be more of an annoyance that it was Gohan, probably the most admired and most spoken male subject in the entire student body. That would really turn some heads.

But, like she always did, she set the issue aside and concentrated on her primary objective. It was only a few minutes ago that she wished to seek out the spiky haired guy and speak with him, get to know him a little better. She figured that perhaps talking with him would ease some of the tension she felt building up in him… or was that nervousness? It could be either. The nervous tensions came from the thought of confronting Gohan again, not after that unforgettable incident back in the locker infested hallway. A feeling deep within her said that if she found Gohan and spoke with him, the following events were not going to be pretty.

Videl shrugged at this as she trudged out of the courtyard and out onto the grasses leading out onto the soccer oval. Instead of crossing the oval, she started walking around its perimeter. Several trees grew in this area, the same line they used for community fairs. It was also a cool place to hang out if you wanted some privacy. _"Maybe Gohan would react differently and forget about it like I do. Oh…but what if he doesn't",_ Videl thought worryingly. She sighed to try and compose herself and placed her hand on her forehead. A bead of sweat made itself known around her forehead and she quickly wiped it away. _"I don't think this will end well…"_

She was just passing by a group of trees and bushes that obscured most view from all around when she spotted someone within the group of trees. Stopping for a moment, she fully focused her attention on the person she had spotted from out of the corner of her eyes. To her surprise and internal delight, it was Gohan. The young Saiyan sat, leaning against the tree with his arms crossed, his right foot out and left knee brought toward him for comfort. His eyes were closed, and the shadows from the trees provided him with the shade, cool atmosphere and the hide out from the outside world he needed. It was pretty obvious he didn't like company, especially since the entire female body's eyes have fallen on him. From Videl's point of view, he looked quite comfortable.

Her curiosity getting the better of her again, Videl turned slowly and approached him with caution. Passing the bushes by completely to avoid detection by going around them, she walked up to Gohan using a thief like approach, focusing her weight behind her to keep her steps quiet. However, silent or not, Gohan knew that she was coming and when she was only a few meters away from her, he flinched. Her closeness only made him feel tense. Videl looked at him in amassed interest, looking him up and down and bending over so to look at his shadowed face. Her attention also focused on his left arm, which was hard to miss because his left side was to her. It wasn't cracking or anything now, and that was a good thing.

Unable to get a peep out of him now, Videl took another step closer, only to stop when his eyes opened. She held her breath as he looked up at her, his stone cold orbs settling on her gracious form. Her eyes wavered under the shadows of her face and the trees and her body stiffened. She was in an awfully straight standing position, meaning that she was caught rather off guard if she was using such a stocky posture. Still, Gohan thought nothing of it and merely stared at her. Her intrusion was nonetheless a sort of bother but he refused to show it outwardly as it would perhaps upset her. Even though he was rather harsh on other people, he still managed to not hurt other people's feelings like Vegeta usually did. Time seemed to stand still, everyone everywhere frozen in suspended animation.

The two teenagers stared at each other, both of them gazing into the others eyes through to the soul. Gohan saw an endless tunnel of light and peace through Videl's sapphire windows while Videl saw cold and darkness through Gohan's orb like eyes. She gulped in nervousness as she was dragged into the darkness, feeling her own soul venture further. It seemed as if the two would be locked in the staring contest for a long time, neither of them letting up because they were either too stunned or too stubborn to relinquish their hard gazes. Fortunately, it was not to last. The once edgy silence that hung in the atmosphere was suddenly filled with sounds of life again and with the second hand beginning to tick again, movement became apparent. Videl was quite relieved when Gohan suddenly looked away and was back to glaring ahead of him again. He shut his eyes and breathed in deeply, his chest heaving with those breaths. The raven haired girl took every opportunity to watch his every move, take in every little feature about him, piecing him together, bit by bit…like he were some sort of puzzle.

Truly, Gohan was an enigma of his own: a decryption needing to be solved to unlock the truth. His secrets felt far deeper then what was on the surface through Videl's perspective. His gaze, cold, dark and chilling to all people around him showed his emotions and pains through them. They were truly remarkable eyes; eyes that have seen more then any person would have seen to hold and bear for the rest of their lives. Videl knew this just by looking into them. However, she was barely shaken by what she saw in them. But what she could also see on the outside was how enticing and captivating they were. Then again, she could just be imagining things…

From then, as time ticked on, Videl stood in silence, watching the teenager sitting beneath the tree with a curious yet cautious look. Her senses were on high alert, just in case anything unexpected occurs. While she stood there, she began to admire the young Saiyan with more interest, taking in every feature she could. All major and minor bits weren't left unnoticed. This may have been because Videl didn't really get a good look at him before during class time. Now was the better time to get down to some free-time business.

While Videl stood in the shadows with Gohan still sitting in front of her, she got quite a big shock when the young half Saiyan suddenly spoke up. She guessed her being here was really getting to him now.

"What do you want?" Gohan asked rather roughly. He sat very still, his eyes remaining closed and his head dipped forward. He didn't even move when he spoke, his mouth was the only thing that showed signs of movements.

Videl breathed in and relaxed her quick beating heart before approaching slowly, putting her hands behind her back and bending over a little, settling into the shadows just as well as before. Her eyes fixed on Gohan as she moved to stand a little more in front of him in hopes of getting more of his attention. She stared into his darkened face with curiosity and, to her surprise, with a bit of nervousness. Her facial expression showed these emotions visually. Gohan sensed her presence draw closer. It was getting harder for him to concentrate on his thoughts. His gloved hand tensed, making low, inaudible crunching sounds. He could feel those vibrations from his glove coursing through his skeleton.

"I…was just looking for you so I could…well…talk with you…about the incident back in the hallway", Videl explained herself, coming to stand in front of Gohan a little to his left. Gohan nodded slowly in understanding. So that was her reason for showing up. He could sense that this was kind of important for her so he decided not to brush her away so soon. This could get interesting.

"Uh-huh, and that bothers you because..." he continued on, awaiting Videl's answer. Videl shuffled nervously on the spot and looked away for the moment. Seconds later, she returned her eyes to Gohan so not to be rude.

"Well, its just that my…little outburst back there may have drawn a bit of unwanted attention from some of the other students present at the scene and…I have reason to believe that we both were a bit embarrassed from it. I…I'm sorry if I may have embarrassed you or anything. I hope you don't think anything of it", Videl let out, stuttering a bit as she tried to find the right words to use. Gohan smirked, his arms still crossed and his eyes closed.

"You sound as if it were some sort of crime", Gohan stated. Videl blushed a little. You would have expected a rather enraged reaction to come from her but instead, she felt embarrassed. Perhaps she was just blushing at the way Gohan had replied to what she had said. His voice was strung with handsome charm, despite his anti-social behavior. His voice was husky, bringing heat to her cheeks. She felt as if she should fan herself. But then again, she didn't want to display such acts in front of the young Saiyan that would make her seem weak of heart. Instead, she regained most of her composure and tried to carry on with their discussion.

"Well…uhh…it was just a bit of a…umm…mispronunciation of words for me. I would never say something like that…" she tried to explain, but Gohan just raised his right hand and waved her explanations away. He still had a rather amused smile on his face but he tried to remain firm about everything he said. He lowered his hand when her stammering came to a stop.

"Stop accusing yourself of it. I know that the other two who were with you made you let out your feelings when it wasn't necessary. If it helps, I wasn't embarrassed. All I hope is that you can put that silly incident behind you, from my experiences, it will only get in your way", Gohan stated. Videl stared at him a few moments after he had finished, her innocent eyes blinking in her thoughtful stare. Gohan just sat where he was, his regular frown returning to his features and his body stoning itself again. Stiffness overcame his entire body again and some more, awkward silence fell among them.

While Gohan sat still for and Videl remained quiet for those edgy seconds that passed, they managed to browse through their thoughts. Here Videl was taking in Gohan's words while Gohan was thinking about the things the raven haired girl had shouted when she didn't know he was behind her. It was all just weird. Then again, they did learn a few things from this and what has come to pass already. Gohan was brought back to reality soon enough and after extending his senses, he noticed that Videl was still here. Opening his eyes, he looked up at her. To no concern of his, he saw the girl standing where she was, looking at her feet and rocking back and forth on her feet, her hands behind her back. Even though it was of no surprise to him, he found it quite odd that a girl of her character would be standing here in such a profound way. Maybe it had something to do with her mood around her. Could he really have that kind of effect on people?

He shrugged off any ideas of that and went on to speak again. "Is there anything else you want to ask me", he asked. Videl looked up at him when she heard him address her. She stared at him for a moment, seeing him staring back at her with his serious look. It was only a few seconds of staring did she spot the thing that had been a major question on her mind since last lesson: the glove on his hand. His actions with it and reactions to her were all the more confusing and thus needed to be settled with some hard questions and answers. She figured that in his case, she should do this delicately.

She nodded. "Yes, umm...do you mind telling me about that glove of yours? Why do you only where one?" she asked. Gohan stared at her hardly. He was inwardly surprised by the question she asked him and was not sure how to answer to it. However, there was his emotional response to the matter. He scowled at her and turned away, looking into the darkness of the bushes and trees surrounding him. Videl took it that he did not want to discuss it and was more concerned then ever when he turned away. He kept quiet from then. The raven haired girl walked closer and knelt beside him, looking at the side of his face intently.

To her utter surprise, she saw a tear drop leave him and run down the side of his cheek, his body starting to tremble. To add to the litter, Gohan managed to reply, though his response was far more angered then ever, or perhaps he was just trying to keep the inner pains he felt back. "I don't want to talk about it. There is more to me then you will ever understand", Gohan practically growled in a quiet voice. Videl could barely hear him above the echoing chatters of students all around them so she had to open her ears more. In an attempt to get closer to him, Videl reached out with her right hand. But the instant she touched his left shoulder, he jerked away. Quickly getting to his feet after collecting his water bottle, Gohan turned and scowled down at the girl kneeling on the ground. Videl looked up at him almost fearfully, meeting his battle hardened gaze.

"I know that you're just curious to know, but I can't honor your question with an answer. It's for the best", Gohan continued. Without another word, Gohan took his leave and parted from the scene, leaving a very shocked and shaken Videl Satan. Just as Gohan was disappearing towards the school, Videl knelt where she was, looking at the ground in thought. Beads of sweat stained her forehead and her breathing came out slowly yet raspily. She was astounded at Gohan's reaction to her. She tried to ask him with as much kindness as she could, yet he acts as if her presence was agonizing for him. This was not normal. Something must have happened to him that is making him react like this, something bad. And as she expected, this entire mystery circulates around that gloved arm of his. She could sense something odd about it, unlike anything she had ever sensed before. She had to find out more about him.

Looking over her shoulder, she looked in the direction Gohan had walked off in. Beyond the trees and bushes, he was nowhere to be seen. All she could see were other students rushing about, going on with their business and free time. Groups walked by every now and then, completely oblivious to her stare. She knelt there, still staring in the direction Gohan has gone off in, thinking to herself. Suddenly, as time seemed to fly by, the school bell rang and students all around the courtyard and ovals began to head off to their next classes. Videl knelt there for a few more seconds after the bell had gone and after that certain amount of time had passed, she got up and started walking very slowly back into the school for the next lesson. All the while, her mind concentrated on her confused thoughts.

"_What is with Gohan, he can seem so nice at times, but…inside he's deeply hurt. It's eating away at him. OK, so if he won't answer anything about his arm then I guess I'll just have to keep getting closer to him, maybe then I'll be able to get something out of him",_ Videl thought, a small smile stretching across her lips. But then, a frown crossed her lips and she rubbed her chin in thought, her eyes narrowing slightly. _"Then there's that Gold fighter character. There is a chance that he might show up again. Though I hardly believe it, but I think that he has some sort of connection with Gohan. I can't get that nagging feeling out of the back of my mind…"_

What Videl didn't know as she walked off to class was how right she was about the connection between Gohan and the Gold fighter. But right now, all she could concentrate on was the next upcoming lesson.

There was one more thing she learnt from this. She was right...it didn't end well…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	6. Dance Remix

DRAGONBALL Z

STEP BEHIND HUMANITY

**DANCE REMIX?**

Chapter 6

_**Indoor gym…**_

_**Dance Lesson**_

It was finally the last lesson of the entire day and students were already feeling the day start to move on to its last hours. They were all restless, but somewhere inside, they felt enjoyment in the last lesson they were about to take. Those in the P.E class were definitely in a mood to finish the day and with flying colors. The P.E class Gohan was in of course, as established before was to play a host for the dance lessons for this semester. This routine was placed into P.E classes to build students' confidences and arouse their inner interests in ways of form and art. Teachers felt strongly for the build up in a student's confidence and appointed the best of their dance instructors to the school.

Dance practices were commonly held in the basket ball courts or the 'gym' as they called it. It was here where the students were able to spreads themselves out and engage in the arts of dancing. Wide open spaces of the basketball courts provided the spaces the teacher in charge needed. The roof reached high above the court with railings supporting its ceiling framework. The walls were painted orange and yellow in accordance to the school's Team colors. It also matched the cheerleading outfits worn by the cheerleaders but an important thing in this design was that people in the stands were able to add more color to the elaborate surroundings. The stands were set up on either side of the lengths of the courts, reaching to about halfway up the wall. They were able to support a lot of people and weight, whatever the situation called for. These stands could also be set up at other ends of the gym whenever school meetings took place. Effectiveness and mobility was called for all parts of the school and not just the courtyards. All students, regardless of age, race, color or creed were to be included in these events, same as the staff.

The students assigned to this afternoon's P.E class were all spread out in front of the West side stands of the gym. Many students had changed so to be comfortable in the lesson to follow. After those under the category of needing to be changed were back sooner then expected and were now waiting patiently yet eagerly for their teacher to arrive. Groups were assembled among the students as well as pairings between couples of best mates. Videl was standing with her friends Sharpener and Eraser while the anti-social member of the troop, Gohan, sat up in the stands, arms crossed and uninterested. He didn't take the liberty of changing into something else because he was already comfortable with the attire he was already wearing. Then again, he saw no other point. He was trained to fight in all sorts of clothing, heavy, tight, uncomfortable and even in the most awkward of clothes. Whatever was called, he could fight, or in this case, dance, in anything. He sat where he was along the steel seats, leaning back into the seats behind him and staring with a look of seriousness down at the groups of students below him. He found the situation rather ridiculous.

Not too fond of dancing, Gohan thought that he'd sit this one out and watch the show. He figured it might add some amusement to the already 'tragic' day he had so far. Videl, who had been quite oblivious to his distant presence, suddenly noticed Gohan sitting up in the stands behind her. Looking in surprise she turned a little more to get a better look up at the silent teenager. Her attention was taken away from the conversation Sharpener and Eraser were having. They pardoned her absence for now and continued on talking with one another amidst the chatter already echoing all around. Gohan was staring down at the entire class, not really paying much attention to Videl at the moment as his senses were a bit distracted.

Videl stared up at him for a little longer, her surprised and curious expression getting the better of her. Because of this, her interests in Gohan had arisen quite a bit, placing her in an almost captivated gaze. It was only a matter of time until Gohan finally sensed a familiar ki turned in his direction, the feel of the person's gaze making him waver a bit where he sat. In response to this call, he turned in the direction of the person staring up at him to find a familiar, blue eyed, raven haired girl looking up at him. His eyes locked with Videl's again for a brief moment. This lasted for a length of time till Videl finally pulled herself back into reality. Seeing Gohan turn to her made her jump in surprise and with a blush, she looked away. Though puzzling the young Saiyan was, Videl couldn't help but admire him and notice how handsome he was. She took every bit of time she had to look him over whenever her eyes became infected with his image.

Gohan flinched when Videl turned away with that rather bashful expression imprinted on her soft features. Soft though maybe, she was a lethal martial arts weapon. Turning down annoyance and aggravation to a pure sense of amusement, Gohan grunted and looked away. He found the girl's rapid reactions to him amusing, but also felt a lot of other emotions from it. He was confused. First he felt this totally new feeling of happiness, something he rarely felt and then this sense of relation. Videl was perhaps one of the very few people who could muster the courage to talk to him, and perhaps the only one who even tried. He had also noticed traits in her almost comparable to his, like her passion for fighting and skills in martial arts. He could relate to her, definitely. But another thing he felt was concern. She was human, while he was only part. She knew nothing of him. The reason being was that he wouldn't let her get close to him. He feared for the entire school knowing of his unnatural abilities and alien traits. They didn't know he was half blooded Saiyan, nor did they know that he was the boy who was maimed by and defeated the mighty Cell. If any of these secrets were to be revealed, then the world would come crashing down on him. He argued this before. God knows how much more emotionally affected he would be afterwards.

Videl, who had recently turned away, kept on glancing up at the spiky haired warrior. Her eyes shifted between regions on some part of the floor beneath her then up to the handsome teenager. Her feel of attraction to the young male's personality and good looks were getting the better of her. She hardly knew the guy, and despite his emotional and defensive barrier, was capturing her best interests. Videl had never felt like this in…well…ever, as it had already been mentioned. Despite all obstacles, she still deeply liked him and would do anything to try and get close to him. That is, if it were possible…

She looked up at Gohan again, this time being sure to keep her gaze less intense. She had to stay on the ball if she were to avoid his gaze so she wasn't caught checking him out. _"I wonder why Gohan keeps so distant from everyone. Hmm…maybe I can convince him to join in, it might help me get some more info on him,"_ she thought. Unfortunately, her thoughts were not to last. As luck should have it, another rude interruption was to follow. Not from one of the students though. This one came from the teacher of the class who, at the height of the moment, entered the gym. Walking briskly over to the crowd of students, the teacher clapped his hands loudly.

The sudden echoing claps caught the attentions of every single student in the entire class. All heads turned in the direction of the source of the noise. Gohan also looked up at this new sound but was completely unsurprised. From his point of view on top of the stands, the teacher was a tall man with black hair with a figure befitting a gymnast. He wore a traditional outfit used in carnivals; a good example would be Spanish dance competitions. Black tights, white, long sleeved and very loose shirt with a 'V' neck shape, revealing a lot of chest. The assistant teacher, who accompanied the young dancer was a woman dressed in a black dress that sleeked across her curvaceous body. She had blonde hair and was carrying what looked to be a CD player with a couple of loud speakers. These speakers were kindly provided by Capsule Corps enhanced modern technology department. The young Saiyan suspected that the music will be a lot louder then what it originally should be.

The teacher smiled at the students backing away towards the stands as he moved more into the centre of the gym. His assistant teacher took her place by the stands where she sat the CD player and the loudspeakers on the bottom seat. The dance instructor, now the centre of attention came to a sliding stop, and when he turned to the class he gave them all a nod. "Good afternoon students", he jeered in a Spanish accent, as suggested by his attire.

"Good afternoon Mr. Pironee", the entire class replied. Well, almost the entire class. Gohan remained silent where he sat, not drawing too much attention. He would perhaps be just a minor problem for the teacher to handle. The teacher dubbed Mr. Pironee nodded to all the students from left to right, counting them as he went along. With affirmation that everyone was present, he continued.

"Yes, yes, good! Welcome one and all to another semester of the school's traditional Ballroom dancing sessions. I apologize to all of you who are very heavy hearted if these sessions are interrupting your usual fun-and-games during these lessons, but I'll have you know it is traditional. So to make things more enjoyable for all of you we'll try to make this a little more fun. Let me introduce my assistant Miss Katharina", Mr. Pironee exclaimed, gesturing a hand in the direction of his blonde haired helper. The assistant teacher curtsied graciously to the class who all smiled in kind. When the teacher began speaking again they all turned back to focus. "She will be helping any student who needs assistance during the courses I'll be setting. No homework comes from this. However I strongly suggest devotion to this subject. Practice makes perfect as they say. So let's not tally too much and get into pairs. Boy to girl please! Don't be shy!"

As the crowd of students began hurriedly to pick partners, the teacher suddenly spots Gohan sitting up in the stands on his own. He was quite hard to miss, as he was perhaps considered as the odd one out and was the only one sitting outside of the crowds. Through the mass of students passing by the teacher stared in puzzlement up at the spiky haired student for a moment but then turned to his assistant teacher. Mr. Pironee clicked a couple of times to Miss Katharina and pointed to the students. "Make sure the boys and girls are assembled into a circle so to make this easier", he explained to his assistant. Katharina nodded to Mr. Pironee and began moving about the students, shouting to them her instructions. With that set aside, the teacher walked out from the centre of the gym and towards the stands before him. He stopped at the foot of the stands and stared up at the student sitting on his own. Videl was also standing beside the teacher, also curious to why Gohan wasn't joining in.

With the students assembling into a large circle in the background, Gohan became the main subject of the matter at hand. In the eyes of Mr. Pironee, Gohan was becoming a big problem. "Excuse me boy, you up there! Why aren't you down here with the rest of your friends practicing ball room dancing arts?" Mr. Pironee shouted in question. Gohan, who still had his arms crossed, glared back down at his teacher. Man this guy was as stuck up as judges for paintings. Videl however remained silent and stared up at Gohan with her arms at her sides.

"I have no need for such teachings. I've already perfected dancing at the age of four", Gohan merely replied. The teacher grunted in amusement and nodded, looking rather amused. But inwardly, he was quite annoyed at Gohan's tardiness. Videl blinked a few times, rather surprised and interested. Was Gohan telling the truth at this point?

"Oh really, then why don't you come down here and join us? Surely if you already know the arts of ball room dancing then you wouldn't be afraid of joining in. I'm also curious to find out if you can dance", the teacher responded in kind, egging Gohan on to participate. Gohan narrowed his eyes on his persistent teacher. The guy had a lot of nerve if he couldn't take the subtle hints of leaving him alone. Maybe it was just in the man's arrogant nature.

"I would gladly join, but I'm concerned about partnerships. The girl's in this class don't want to partner up with me", Gohan yelled back. The teacher had to admit that Gohan was rather firm on that reply. He could also see why no one would want to partner up with him, he had a cold nature. Videl however was a bit more skeptical. Looking between both Gohan and the teacher, she spotted out the opportunity she had been waiting for. This way, she might have a chance to get close to Gohan. She smiled in triumphant. She was of course an accomplished dancer herself, perhaps she could show Gohan a thing or two.

Looking over at the teacher Videl spoke. "I'll dance with him, sir", Videl exclaimed brightly. Mr. Pironee looked over at Videl in surprise. Gohan was also caught off guard by Videl's sudden entrance into this debatably argument. When he saw Videl smile up at him, he inwardly trembled. He figured that she would find a way to him, and after all the time he tried blocking her out. She was even more determined then ever. Then again, she was better then nobody.

The teacher stared down at Videl for a moment in thought but then nodded. In conclusion he looked back up at the black haired boy. "Very well! Boy, you'll be partnered up with Miss. Videl Satan. Perhaps you can use this time to develop some respect for other students and teachers!" Mr. Pironee yelled. A second later, Gohan got to his feet and slowly, walked down the stands and to ground level. When he reached the bottom step, he casually leapt off of it and glared at the teacher, since they were almost the same height. Gohan was slightly taller. The teacher stared back.

"Believe me, sir, I've developed the proper respects since I was five", Gohan replied rather dangerously. Not wanting to wait for the teacher's response, Gohan turned to Videl and bowed low in a gentlemanly manner, much to Videl surprise. The raven haired girl gasped at this and stepped back a little so to observe this peculiar sight. Standing back up, Gohan offered Videl his arm, hooking it so to get his message through. Videl in kind, seeing his arm linked her arm with his and together the two walked over to join the circle made by the students. At the time, the students were staring at Gohan and Videl in surprise, unable to contain their disbelief of Videl, the schools most hard to get girl going with Gohan, the schools hardest to get guy.

After seeing Gohan and Videl depart for the circle and in perfect sync too, the teacher smiled and clapped his hands together. Rubbing his palms into each other, he strode over to the circle of students with his assistant instructor passing him by to head over to the stands to the CD player. With the entire class set up according to his plans, the teacher took his place in the centre of the ring and looked around at the couples. Gohan and Videl had unlinked arms in anticipation for the instructions that would be soon directed towards them. All the students remained silent and were listening intently.

"OK, so first we are going to learn the basic dance steps of Foxtrot. For me, for us mainly would be the first focus of our dance sessions. Foxtrot involves the enticing of both partners to repeated, in sync steps. This should develop your sense and taste in the art of ball room dancing. Everyone take your partner! Men, take old a hold of your partner's right hand and hold it outwards to your left and place your right hand on the girl's hip. The girl's, instead of placing your left hand on your partner's hip, place it on your partner's right shoulder. On their right, do not get confused!"

Immediately, students began enclosing on their partners, assuming the starting positions of foxtrot. Some were quite hesitant but fulfilled their teacher's without question. The teacher went around the circle and corrected any student who needed assistance. Sharpener and Eraser had to be pushed a little bit closer together just to get the stance right. Gohan and Videl however didn't need correcting and the two stood close together, front to front and toe to toe but just wide enough to allow breathing and movement to take place. However, there was a bit of a small jist with Videl and Gohan's emotional points. Videl was smiling up at Gohan with a blush on her face and was looking rather shy at being so close to him while Gohan stared back down at her with his usual serious expression. He however was a bit nervous on the inside and had a bead of sweat on his temple. Once the teacher had finished correcting partner's stances, he returned to the centre and nodded.

"OK, wonderful. Now that you have assumed starting positions, we will follow through with the steps. Movement is vital importance in dancing. Make sure you and your partner understand and are in sync with one another. Together, we perform the slow, slow, quick, quick steps together. Because we are in a circle, I must see movement of the circle. And I must see rhythm in this. Men step forward with their left and girl's step back with their right. This must be done together. Then, the men follow through by stepping forward with their right and the girl's step back with their left. Remain in eye contact. Remember, this comes from instinct. Be sure to have sweeping motions in each step so it is in tone with the music. Then, once the both of you have performed the two slow steps, the men takes his step to the left and the girl follows, taking a step to her right. At the same time, perform a sweep motion again with a bit of swoop made by the dipping of your outstretched arms. Then, the pair of you step in together, left for the girl first with the men stepping back with their right and then stepping back with their left at the same time the girl steps forward with her right," the teacher instructed. As he explained the steps verbally, he showed them visually how the steps were to be performed. All the while, the students were busy jotting down these instructions and remembering the steps. They were sure to perform it on the spot as well.

Having performed the steps several times over just so that everyone got it, the teacher turned back to his students and spun around. This way, he was able to see every single student's face. "Remember, it's the slow, slow, quick, quick method. If you can remember this, you can dance foxtrot. Now give it a go. Katharina, Music!" Mr. Pironee shouted, pointing in his assistant's direction. With a nod, the blonde haired teacher pushed play on the CD player and started the song that they had in mind for the lesson.

With a click, the music sounded. It was a sort of classical, upbeat Mexican music. There was a band of violinists and cello players in the background with the toning of drums and guitars. You could swear you could feel the beat pulsing through your body, it was absolutely grand. Immediately, with the starting count of the teacher, the students began stepping to the music, moving together in an anti-clockwise motion just so to keep their dancing space. Gohan and Videl, to everyone's amazement danced like any ordinary couple should. The sight of the pair distracted most of the students from what they were supposed to be doing.

Gohan and Videl were completely oblivious to stares of the students' gazes and kept dancing. They kept their eyes on each other, with Videl smiling up at him but her head dipped down a little to hide the blush on her cheeks. Gohan however just stared down at he with that cold gaze of his, meeting her eyes. All the while, the two danced. It was to the teacher's surprise that the two danced so well and was at the moment questioning about whether the two were already a couple or not. Anyone would agree that from where he was standing, the two were made for each other. He smiled and placed his fists on his hips, taking in the sight. He was pulled out of his thoughts sharply however when he noticed the other students slacking off and went about helping them out. The circle continuously moved, all in tone with the beat of the music in the background.

Videl stepped in a little closer to her partner, keeping herself in direct eye contact with him. She couldn't help but feel at ease and more at peace when she was this close to the young Saiyan. The closer she got, the happier she felt. Perhaps it was how she felt about him that his presence was so welcoming and heart warming. Despite the barriers he put up around him to prevent anyone from getting close, his heart felt warm on the inside. Gohan, to his surprise, also found Videl's closeness rather nice, but declined in showing it on his face. He just kept in step, basking in the feelings he felt now. Coming from a royal family, it was custom for him to learn the art of dance at an early age where it would occur natural for the rest of his life. His mother had taught him to dance, as well as some instructors hired by his grandfather. By four years old, he was already dancing like a professional and was more gentlemanly than even the richest of men. But then it came down to this. He refused to show his caring side ever again in fear that it would cloud his judgment.

It was in these times of lost did the teacher suddenly stop the music. There was a bit of commotion between a pair of dancing partners who kept on bumping into each other. All partners had to separate so to get a better look or to focus their attention on the teacher, and they did it rather quickly. Gohan and Videl however took a little time in parting and turning in the direction of the commotion springing up. Videl had to bare breaking her gaze away from Gohan's and remove her hands away from him. Standing side by side, the pair watched the teacher throw rather loud instructions and pointers towards a dancing couple who were now looking a bit embarrassed at their actions. The assistant teacher had to turn off the music momentarily just so to hear the silence from the rest of the students so that they learned something from this.

The teacher looked between the two and grasped his hands together. "Listen, it is not too much to ask not to fight over who goes first. In dancing, the male leads and the girl follows. However, in other dances, it would be the girl who takes the lead. A couple who shares a strong understanding with one another and whose skills are intertwined, that way they are able to dance together. Ball room dancing isn't just a form of your so called 'sissy' stuff. It focuses on grace, balance, self awareness, instincts and skills. Most of the greatest couples in the world deeply share a strong bond and know how to dance amazingly well," the teacher explained. He looked between the two students momentarily before standing up straighter, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his eyes. He let out a sigh and shook his head, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sometimes confidence must be achieved the hard way, it just needs a bit of…well…help getting through the door. I need a key," he muttered to himself, looking around the room at the students. He looked at one couple after another, going around with intent expression. He continued round till his eyes fell upon Gohan and Videl, the pair standing most distant from him and standing rather close. He caught sight of the proximity and rubbed his chin. The teacher looked about a second time to make sure if he was making the right decisions but then finally dignified himself with an answer. He walked over to the pair and bid them to approach. Gohan and Videl were a little surprised by this. Whatever the case may be, they approached the teacher.

Under the gazes of the students and the two teachers present, the pair approached Mr. Pironee with all haste. The teacher stopped them where they met halfway. Mr. Pironee looked at both of them with curiosity and careful thought. He then nodded to the two of them and leaned closer, whispering so the other students didn't hear. "I've watched you two, and I see you both have great skill. You also work very well with each other", Mr. Pironee said quietly. The two of them didn't respond and just listened in. Mr. Pironee turned to Gohan and eyed him with great intent. "You boy, who taught you how to dance", he asked, "You posses such great passions for arts, and this comes from observations of your posture and form." Gohan raised an eyebrow at this but shrugged indifferently.

"My mother taught me. The rest of that information is for me to know and me alone", Gohan replied roughly and briefly. The teacher looked a little skeptically at Gohan but then shrugged that off and turned to look at Videl instead. Gohan was rather annoyed that this teacher would pull him out, especially since it was going to be a demonstration. Maybe he should do something else that would give these students something to think about.

After examining both Videl and Gohan, he smiled at the two and placed his hands on their shoulders. His expression was one of proud and admiration. "Do you two think you can show these students how well a pair can dance? I think a bit of visual perspective can help them through the door," Mr. Pironee asked. Videl, being the most enthusiastic smiled and gave Mr. Pironee the thumbs up, making Gohan look down at the girl with a grimace. He was beginning to believe that this raven haired girl was growing a little fond of him…a little too fond. The teacher looked at them both with that same smile of confidence. "Great, let's get this started!"

Turning around, Mr. Pironee headed towards the centre of the circle and with much excitement, threw out his arms in declaration. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Videl Satan and her partner will be giving us a demonstration on how a dancing couple works together! You may stand or sit if you wish," the teacher exclaimed. Both Gohan and Videl blushed involuntarily as whistles and shouts rang out towards the two from many of the students. Gohan was annoyed while Videl was just embarrassed. Mr. Pironee took this rather amusingly, a chuckle escaping his lips as he exited the circle. "Now, now students lets not make the two dancers nervous!"

Turning around when he finally reached the outside of the circle of students, he looked over at Gohan and Videl. He saw the two of them still standing amidst the stares of other students and gave them a questionable look. "What dance will you be showing us if I may ask?"

Videl glanced up at Gohan for a moment, seeing him bearing that tight, embarrassed scowl on his face. He had a single bead of sweat imprinted on the side of his forehead and his eyes were shut tightly. Although it was clear he didn't want to suffer anymore, Videl thought she'd make some use of their dance and so voiced up for them. This was something Gohan was not going to enjoy.

"We were thinking of doing the tango…" Gohan chocked off his own accord. He glared down at Videl with a flushed face, his eyes overshadowing. The teacher smiled and clapped his hands together.

"Wonderful! If you two can perform this well I'll be sure to recommend the two of you to the dance competition. That is if you can both dance well together. I hope you won't let me down," the teacher said. Videl smiled.

"Don't worry, we won't", Videl insisted. Gohan just closed his eyes and took in a deep breath to compose himself. The over work up of stress was getting to him.

With a final nod, Mr. Pironee turned to his assistant teacher and nodded to her. She nodded in response and turned on the CD player. Immediately after switching it on a very obvious tango tune kicked in. With violins, cello's and drums playing in the background as well as other upbeat musical instruments playing in the fore ground, it was thought by Videl to be the exact tone she was looking for. Gohan however couldn't care less. All he wanted to do was get it over and done with and pull out as soon as possible.

With the music beginning to hit it up a bit, Gohan and Videl took starting positions. Lacing their fingers with each other with Gohan's left and Videl's right, they held their arms out before sliding closer together. Gohan was quite reluctant to do so. Placing his right hand on Videl's hip Videl placed her left hand on their shoulder. Then, the two locked eyes with each other and looked toward their outstretched arms. The students and teachers around them watched closely, staying silent. Thoughts that Gohan was dancing with Videl continued to ring out in many of the observing minds. It was quite an interesting coincidence the two of them were together.

Counting in their heads together, the two then began to dance. With the beat and steps imprinted in their minds, the pair slid forward. Right back foot pulled forward, balancing them and then their forward foots went. This was performed three times in three simple, close steps. They performed this while flowing through the steps one after another, making sure it was as sensuous as possible. Relaxed expressions donned each other's faces and would remain that way as they danced through the tango.

At the end of the three steps, the two pivoted from left to right twice before pacing backwards two steps, both of them being sure to perform these correctly. They looked back as they performed these before looking forward again as they stepped forward again. After tat sliding first step forward again, the two pulled each other close so that their bodies were pressed closely together and raised their forward leg and stomping to the ground slowly and firmly. With their forward foot down and moved forward, the two slid their forward foot backwards in exact unison. At the same time, the violin in the background of the music played a very slow sliding sound to go with their exact actions and steps. When the music started beating quick again, the two of them began moving fast again.

Once they were facing each other again, Videl stepped into Gohan's stance while he turned her round. With Videl's leg wrapped round Gohan's, she leaned back in a dip which Gohan helped her perform. Videl's outer leg lifted into the air quickly with the dip, before dropping slowly into a posed knee. They did this with medium speed before Gohan pulled Videl up slowly, the raven haired girl's leg sliding down Gohan's side as she was pulled up into a more relaxing stance. The two were brought close together again, their chests pressed against each other. With a quick gaze into each other's eyes, Gohan pulled Videl out of their lock and back outwards again. With his hand placed on her hip again, Gohan advanced steps towards her. Videl backed away, following through with the same reverse steps. After five or so quick steps, the two of them slid sideways in the opposite direction their arms were held out and fingers were locked. A slow movement with a quick step out to balance themselves. Then, the two began moving again.

Looking forwards again to where their hands held each other, the two slid forwards. It was a slide motion first, then a knee up with their forward legs, a stomp to the ground, a slide forwards again and then another stomp. Switching sides in a quick spin, the two of them then began waltzing forward together, pressed closely. It was three steps forward, a finishing pout and then another slide forward. With Videl held securely to him, Gohan moved her backward so that she made a sliding motion with her back foot along the ground behind her before she brought it forward again. When her foot was being brought forward, under the secure embrace of Gohan, Videl wrapped her right leg round his waste and pulled herself upward. In so doing her right leg slid down his backside and hamstring. When it curled around his forward leg, she rubbed his inner thigh with her leg. She performed this in slow movements before unwrapping her leg from around his. Quickly, she twirled on the spot with Gohan's assistance. This ended with Videl stopping and being firmly pulled back to her dance partner. Their chests came in contact once more.

The students and teachers presents stared with awe. They were currently gaping at the pair as they moved about in the centre. Who would have thought the two would be hitting it off already, dancing together like they have been a couple for years now. It not only looked good but had an erotic taste to it.

Gohan and Videl continued dancing as fluently as before. They did three slow steps forward before pivoting on the spot. They spun on the spot together in a anti-clockwise spin. With the end of the spin, Gohan dipped Videl low. Once again Videl found her leg wrapped around Gohan's as she was slowly pulled back up and turned round so that they were ready to continue on with the next steps. When Videl was pulled up, she stepped away from her dance partner and walked away, swaying her hips. However, because her hand was still intertwined with Gohan's, it allowed the young Saiyan to pull her back to him, just as he was instructed to do. Videl twirled back toward him before having her front crushed against his chest. The young girl moaned in satisfaction and at the proximity she was with Gohan.

With that pull up, Gohan slid forward, Videl sliding with the foot Gohan's leg slid towards. The two of them performed this several times, Videl moving backward with Gohan advancing on her. When they reached the end of the five slides, Videl lifted her leg and pressed it against Gohan's side, wrapping it around his waste. With her firmly secured against her, Gohan began stepping backwards, Videl's back leg sliding along the ground as he retreated. After four slides, Gohan stopped and pulled Videl back up. Immediately he put Videl in a slight dip, his nose and lips moving down her neck and stopping just above the collar of her shirt. Videl closed her eyes and moaned again at the position he had her in. Then, Gohan slowly pulled her forward again and the two of them stepped round, foreheads almost touching but hands and arms positioned as they were before.

Coming close to the end of the dance, Gohan and Videl turned it up a little more. Showing a lot of grace, Videl pulled out from Gohan before stepping into him again. Gohan laced his arms around so that he spun her and when Videl came in contact with him, her back pressed against his chest. With a silent sigh and closed eyes, Videl allowed Gohan to take the lead. Gohan showed her through the steps. Two quick forward steps, followed by slow steps to the side. After sensuously moving through these, the two performed two backward, quick steps. Videl's legs moved with Gohan's as he embraced her where she was, their hands still laced. When they performed the cube steps, Videl pressed herself against Gohan firmly again with the young Saiyan pulling her to him. The raven haired girl moaned again as her right leg moved back and rubbed up against Gohan's muscular calves. The sensations coursed through her body, making her shiver at how good it felt to be in Gohan's embrace.

The beat turned up a little more to the climactic ending. The two decided to finish it up. With a final pull toward him, Gohan then pulled her outwards in a twirl. Videl made sure her hand was still interlocked with Gohan's. The music quickened, and so did they. The two of them moving in to each other but stepping side to side, their closeness quite obvious. Then, before the conclusion to the dance, they pressed together again and slid forwards toward their outstretched arm. They slid, kneed up, stomped, and slid forward again before Gohan pulled Videl to him and lead her outwards. Videl stepped into Gohan's range before she was sent forward into a dip. Her leg brushed against his inner thigh and her outer leg pressed against Gohan's side. That was where the music stopped exactly and the two finished up in that position.

The students and teachers remained silent in shock; bewildered as the two reformed to original stances. Gohan pulled Videl back up like the way he was taught before releasing her from his grasp. Though Videl was finally back into a proper standing position, she couldn't help but remain pressed against Gohan, her chest to his and her eyes gazing up into his. Gohan stared back at her with a glare, seeing the girl panting against him and a light blush edged across her cheeks. After gazing into each other's eyes for those few, almost eternal moments, they turned toward the teacher and class.

Mr. Pironee, the first to snap out of his shock began clapping for the pair. This began to flow through the students arranged in that large circle and a loud applause rang up in the entire hall. Miss Katharina also applauded from where she stood by the CD player. When the applause died down, Mr. Pironee approached Gohan and Videl with an impressed look on his face. He shook his head in disbelief and placed his hands on his hips, eyes open up. He didn't even blink. "Well done, well done. I must say I am truly impressed. You two have excellent partnership. Not only did you know the dance but you also showed grace, skill, strength, connection and speed. It is amazing that you two would know how to dance that kind of tango. How long have you two been together as in 'boyfriend and girlfriend' per say?"

Gohan had had enough. When Videl had stepped away from him, the young Saiyan stormed out of the circle. Walking through the space a few of the students provided, Gohan headed towards the exit. Mr. Pironee and Videl watched in surprise as Gohan opened the double doors blocking him from the corridor before he disappeared through the gateway. He slammed the doors behind him, causing a loud echo to sound throughout the entire gym. The students and teachers were startled, especially Videl.

Mr. Pironee crossed his arms as he stared off in the direction Gohan had left in. "Well, I see your 'friend' isn't a very sharing type of person. Do you know much about him?" Mr. Pironee asked. Videl shook her head.

"No I-I don't," she replied in a soft tone. Of course, she was a bit hurt when Gohan just left her. But he did leave after giving Videl some much surprising info.

He was one hell of a dancer…

Videl smiled a small smile, her eyes wavering. _"No way can anyone dance that good. I bet I can clue in on his skills and find out where he learned them from. That will lead me to where he actually comes from."_

She sighed in admiration. _"That felt so good…"_

TO BE CONTINUED…


	7. Questions

DRAGONBALL Z

STEP BEHIND HUMANITY

**QUESTIONS**

Chapter 7

_**End of the day…**_

Finally, after an agonizing day of learning, working, with the exception of embarrassing moments here and there, school was finally over. Gohan was most relieved at this. Having left P.E early just to escape the eyes of curious and surprised students, as well as some unwanted questions, he was the first one at his locker when the bell went. Just as he was gathering the stuff from his steel storage compartment, students from other classes around the school began to file out and into the hallways lined with green, rusty lockers. With school out and their stuff organized neatly, they could finally go home and do whatever they wished. Gohan was glad no one was interrupting him while he was gathering up his stuff so that he could go. He had had enough for one day.

Standing just out of reach of the flowing crowds around him, Gohan was finally packed. However, while he was zipping up his bag, he found that his left hand was a little cramped. Looking down at his black glove, he moved his fingers around a bit, the gears and joints grinding against each other. As he moved his appendages around, his hand and fingers made weird clenching sounds.

Finding that he wasn't in pain this time, Gohan grunted indifferently. Maybe he was just a little tense after the long day. After all, he had been put under some awkward pressure. Unwarranted attention was probably the cause of this. Deciding to ignore it for now, Gohan collected his bag and flung it over his shoulder. With a snap, he shut his locker and twisted the combination knob round once so that he could start off anew tomorrow. He then turned to leave. But just as he turned around, he once again found his back against the locker when he was confronted by Videl. The raven haired girl was staring up at him with a very curious expression on her face, her hands held behind her. Her immediate appearance made Gohan step back quickly in surprise, getting him into his present position.

Gohan blinked in surprise while Videl just stared up at him. The pigtailed girl then smiled kindly up at him, a very bright expression taking place on her face. "Hey there, Gohan!" she exclaimed happily. Gohan sweated nervously, but nodded in return so not to seem rude. His serious and surprised look was still in play.

"Hey…" he replied in a non-persona like way, evident to his very negative mood. Despite this, he couldn't help but take a very instantaneous reaction to Videl's presence. Now that she had him cornered, she took a step closer to him. With every second that ticked by, she continued her approach. Couldn't she take a hint from his subtle moves of trying to edge away from her?

The girl continued to persist. Gohan was getting more uncomfortable to her closeness by the second.

Videl giggled at the way he stared at her. Even though his personality had some faults, he was still handsome and cute all the same. "So, are you…going home now?" she asked him softly.

Gohan nodded, hoping that she didn't come any closer. Yet she did, coming within a couple of feet away from him. "Yeah…long day…very tiring," he replied briefly, trying to slip around the raven haired girl. Videl cut him off from any escape by stepping in the direction he was, her hands still locked behind her. She smiled up at him more lovingly, her eyes becoming half-lidded.

"Did you enjoy your first day?" she asked the young Saiyan casually. Gohan sighed and leaned back, the girl stepping closer still. He couldn't stop the sweat now showing on his forehead, as well as the feeling of discomfort in him. Trying to get around her without forcefully pushing her wasn't going to work. He wouldn't even think of using force anyway. His sense of right inside his gut told him better.

So, thinking of a better way of getting out of this, he decided to go along with Videl's advances. Forcing a smile, he replied to her question. "Yes I did. It was very…eventful." Well, what he said was definitely true. Videl nodded slowly and batted her eyelashes up at him.

"Well, that's good to hear. I hope that you continue to enjoy your schooling days here, Gohan. It might get a little slow now and then, but it's all in good fun if you use your time wisely. If you need any help with anything, all you have to do is ask," the girl continued. Gohan gulped silently and nodded in response.

"Sure…I'll…keep that in mind. Thanks." Videl grinned.

"No problem," she exclaimed softly. Her grin turned back to that ever loving smile and she stepped closer. This time, she managed to close all gaps between them. Her chest pressed against his and she leaned against him. She raised her right hand and traced his chest with her finger, drawing random circles. All the while, she gazed up into his eyes, seeing him stare down at her nervously. It came as a surprising change to his usual, serious expression, but Videl wasn't fussed.

She lifted her right knee a bit and rubbed it against Gohan's left leg slowly and softly. By doing this, Videl got the desired reaction she wanted out of him: a light, red coloring streaked across his cheeks. "So Gohan, that was some dancing you did back in P.E this afternoon, it really took my breath away. When exactly did you learn to dance like that? You must have had a good teacher." Gohan swallowed slightly, trying to hide the blush growing on his face.

Videl knew that he was crumbling. It was only a matter of time till he gave in. Still, being the tough nut he was, Gohan managed to reduce to blush on his face and avert back to his usual self. Not to be rude, he replied to the question thrown at him. "My mother taught me how to dance when I was four and more advanced when I was five. You can learn quite a bit where I come from." Videl raised an eyebrow at him. Her hand had stopped tracing along his chest and was now pressed firmly against it. She pushed herself closer to him, her breasts crushing against his chest. Videl found the feel of him quite exciting, more now then before. It was a wonder why nobody noticed the two of them together like this.

"Really?" she replied, more interested about him now. "So where do you come from anyway? Where do you live to be more precise?" Gohan, still trying not to yield to her advances replied none the less.

"I live up at the 439 Mountain Area, Mount Paoz," Gohan replied. Videl nodded in response. She may have been surprised, but she refused to show it. All she did was show more and more interest in him.

"Wow, that's some distance. How do you get from here to there?"

Gohan was about to reply to this when he suddenly realized what had come over him. He shook his head and placed his hand on his forehead, as if he had a headache or something. He cursed at himself for being so foolish. _"Argh…Gohan, what's come over you? You're not supposed to tell anyone about your origins! Damn! How could I break like this? It's never happened before!"_

Videl found Gohan's sudden impact on the question a surprise. When Gohan had stopped shaking his head and looked up at her again, he suddenly slipped out and away from her. When he was free, he began to walk away, but not before leaving Videl with a reason why. "Sorry, I have to go now. Something's come up," he said plainly before departing. He disappeared into the crowds and round the corner.

Videl blinked a few times in surprise when she saw Gohan leave. It was minutes after Gohan had left did she react to it in kind. She smiled and sighed softly, a light blush appearing on her own cheeks.

"_Gee…guess he's even softer underneath then I thought. God, how can some guy have chest muscles as tough as his? The friction is incredible!"_ she thought, awed by the aftereffects of their closeness. She then leaned against her locker and looked up at the ceiling above. Her look changed from one of enjoyment to another of puzzlement. _"Hmm…so he lives up at Mount Paoz. That's got to be some flight, let alone some walk…"_

* * *

_**Half an hour later…**_

_**Son residence…**_

Everything was going as per usual at the Son household at this hour. Work had been done to a certain satisfaction for one particular Son mother whereas the same went to a certain demi-Saiyan now sitting quietly and awaiting food to be made. The two of them were scattered about the kitchen, doing whatever it was they did best. Goten sat playing with his fork and knife at the kitchen dining table while Chi-Chi stood at the kitchen desk, working on tonight's dinner. They were both caught up in their own little world and were completely oblivious to most things going on around them.

The birds sung sweetly outside the open window, the sun slowly pulled itself into a setting path and the gentle breeze of the afternoon drifted across the valleys. Everything was at peace.

The silence the two were bathed in was suddenly broken by the front door opening. It shut itself moments later. A familiar presence immediately came into the picture and the two of them turned to the hall just beyond the entrance to the kitchen. When Chi-Chi and Goten's eyes settled on that exact picture and away from their tasks, they saw a shadowed Gohan walk by. His gaze settled on them for the moment as he past by before he looked ahead of him once more, walking straight to his room. Before he was out of sight, Chi-Chi walked a bit toward the hall and called out to him.

"Gohan how was your first day of school?" she asked. Seconds later, she was answered by Gohan's bedroom door slamming shut, followed by the awkward silence that prevailed.

Chi-Chi, saddened, looked back over to Goten. The chibi Saiyan was more surprised then saddened and looked back over at his mother with wide, innocent eyes. The Son mother was about to walk over to her son when she suddenly heard someone step round the hall to the kitchen entrance. She and Goten looked back to see Gohan's head peaking round the corner. More amazingly enough, he had a smile on his face.

Gohan nodded to the two of them, especially his mother. "It was nice."

Then, he disappeared. Zipping back round he walked back to his room where he locked himself up once more.

Chi-Chi and Goten stood in shocked silence, staring at the doorway Gohan had once been. They glanced over at each other momentarily and shrugged, before looking back toward the hallway entrance.

Something had definitely changed…

* * *

Gohan lay back in his bed in his room, staring up at the ceiling and counting the cracks he could see. The whitewash of the roof had settled over his eyes, blindfolding him and keeping him in an almost coma like state. He could care less about his homework since he took the precaution of doing it in class earlier today and could care even less about the day that had just transpired. All of these things were unnoticeable. However, all of these thoughts were dwarfed by a subtle image of the raven haired girl he had only met today. Her sparkling blue eyes, black, silk like hair and her touch was all Gohan could circulate around. Whatever he tried, he just couldn't stop thinking about her. 

The young Saiyan lay their in a daze, his mind rerunning Videl's gorgeous looks and kind personality over and over again. She was pasted in his mind, making Gohan drift deeper into her subject. There was something about her he had suddenly taken a liking too. But it was the feeling he got that made him uneasy. He had never experienced something like this before. It was instantaneous too.

He had been kept in the dark for most of his life, keeping to himself and only caring about one or two things. Suddenly, this girl comes into his life, making him bend and avert his attention elsewhere. This was something he was mostly concerned about. He flinched in his thoughtful gaze.

"_She's trying everything she has in her power to get close to me. Why? Maybe it's because she really likes me…or maybe she wants to dive in and discover my secrets. I have to be careful. I don't want to blow my cover, especially after these occurring incidents…"_

He smiled a second later, a very rare smile. _"Still, I can't ignore the fact that she's quite beautiful…"_

* * *

Elsewhere, in Satan City, in a certain raven haired girl's room, Videl Satan, the daughter of Hercule Satan, lay on the mattress of her four-poster bed and stared up at her ceiling. Though she was staring directly into the red material of her bed, the teenage girl was actually in deep thought. Blanking out all other thoughts of school, friends and history, Videl mainly focused on the handsome teenager, Gohan Son. The new guy had obviously become her number one interest as well as her sexual fantasy. 

For minutes she lay there, staring off into space with the image of Gohan imprinted in her mind. It was during the time of her mind boggling search of the young male's physic did she start contemplating some other, puzzling questions about the spiky haired teen.

"_Gohan…he's such an enigma, so complex, it's like unraveling a spider's web or walking through a maze to find the centre. I only just met him today and already I'm in love with him. But there is something about him that is also capturing my black and white view. He doesn't act like any other guy, and he certainly isn't light hearted towards other people. He also wears that weird glove, on top of that is keeping many other things about him secret. Damn…it's just so hard to get close to him…really close to him…"_

Videl sighed and closed her eyes, a smile on her face. _"He is so handsome…so mysterious. And his dancing is excellent…oh God, his touch, the feel of him is exquisite…"_

While she was thinking about the young Saiyan, her mind was suddenly drawn to the comparable image of the Gold fighter. Videl flinched when Gohan's face and the Gold fighter's hard gaze appeared in her head. It filled her with a sudden sense of familiarity, making her scrounge deeper into this pairing.

The image of Gohan's glove came into her head once more. _"Why is it that all of these questions suddenly float around his left arm…?"_

TO BE CONTINUED…


	8. Called to Service

DRAGONBALL Z

STEP BEHIND HUMANITY

**CALLED TO SERVICE**

Chapter 8

_**Satan City…**_

_**Morning…**_

Gunfire broke out over the streets as a band of thieves made their way out of the shop they had just robbed and towards their getaway vehicles parked on the road. Around them and the shop they had just robbed, people were rushing about, screaming. Ducking for whatever cover they could find, the citizens and tourists of Satan City sought out whatever shelter they could find from the dreadful shoot out. The guns going off were really loud and most obviously, frightening. The bandits weren't killing people, but were sure making them run.

These robbers were as common as they came but were heavily armed. The band consisted of 12 gang members. Their getaway vehicles were two armored vans, both of them painted black. To add to the liter, both vans had a heavy 50 caliber machine gun mounted at the roof just above the hatch opening where one more bandit sat and manned it. They mowed down their heavy fire across the streets, making the people run in terror to clear a path for their escape. The bandits were also heavily armed. They were all dressed in full black uniforms with masks and sunglasses. Their faces were covered so that nobody could identify them. They also wore backpacks that contained the cash they took and the food they looted. If that weren't enough, the bags were also filled with ammunition for their heavy armaments. They had bullet proof vests on, protecting them from gunfire if the cops should show up. The small arms they used were varying from AK 47's, M16 assault rifles and pump action shot guns. To make sure nobody was to follow them, they hammered away at the streets, keeping people down.

When the echoing of police sirens sounded, all heads turned in the direction of the incoming cops. Suddenly, shooting from around the corner came three police hover cruisers. Their sirens were blazing their colors away and the two policemen inside each vehicle were drawing their weapons, ready for a fight. The robbers reacted to this immediately. The two at the 50 caliber machine guns circled their supports weapons round and opened fire. The hail of bullets was enough to take one of the police cars down. This one toppled through the air before coming to a crash in one of the nearby buildings. The police inside managed to bail before their vehicle had been totaled.

The other two police vehicles stopped a good 30 meters away and leapt out. Getting behind their cars for cover, they opened fire on the bandits who returned fire without hesitation. A massive shootout ensured them all. More gunshots rang out all at once with all miss shots embedding themselves in the objects they struck. The policemen, armed with their revolvers, Beretta's and shotguns were no match for the heavily armed bandits who began picking them off one by one. By doing this, they removed the cover they had.

One of the robbers had taken the liberty of bringing along some anti-tank weaponry. Walking round to the back of one of the vans, the armed man in question opened the doors up and pulled out a RPG with seven rounds of ammunition. Walking back round to his troop, he loaded his weapon and knelt down, taking aim. With a smirk and quick pull of the trigger, the rocket propelled grenade ignited and launched itself at one of the police cruisers. The four policemen behind it were blown into oblivion. A ball of fire consumed them as smoke, dust and debris flew everywhere. When the explosion died down, leaving only a flaming, wrecked vehicle behind, the casualty reports came in. Two police officers were lying with maimed on the ground. One of them had his leg blown off while another had his right arm taken away. They were both screaming and crying for help. A third one had his guts ripped out and was lying dead on the ground. The forth, who had been further away from the car was walking around on fire. Dropping to the ground some time later, he began rolling around, trying to stop the flames raging on his back.

The remaining two policemen were continuously firing out toward the bandits, knowing that they didn't stand a chance. The robbers were showing no mercy and fought on. The man with the RPG had loaded yet another round into the rifle tube of the firing unit. When he was about to launch yet another grenade at the last cop car, he and the rest of his troops turned toward one of the side roads. That's where they saw a squad of four more cop cars pull up, all accompanied by an armored RV with a M60 mounted support gun and a SWAT TEAM van. The platoon of 30 police officers filtered out into the streets, all of them drawing weapons and opening fire on the bandits. The RV seeped in through the gap made by the blockade of police officers.

Knowing that the SWAT police team was armed with heavier weapons, the bandit with the RPG knew he had to take them out first. But then there was the RV. The riot troop at the turret was already peppering away at them with the weapon. Though it wasn't as compatible as the 50 caliber guns, the armored car still posed a lot of trouble. So, wheeling his heavy weapon around, the RPG wielder took aim at the RV's base and fired. The projectile rocketed through the air before impacting against the soft underbelly of the vehicle. The six-wheeled RV went up in flames, killing the man at the M60 and the crew inside. Shrapnel flew everywhere as the engine in the back exploded, damaging the surrounding cop cars and wounding more men.

With the police failing to stop their targets, it seemed as if the bandits had won. But there was still hope left. When one of the bandits wheeled his M16 assault rifle round and began picking off the two reaming cops behind the remaining, intact police cruisers that had confronted them before, he got a real big surprise. Sprinting out of the flames of a wrecked hulk of the recently destroyed cop car, came a blonde haired man dressed in army, jungle camouflaged pants, a black, leather trench coat, and a black turtleneck with dog tags and combat boots. Fists held back in attack, the stranger advanced on the bandits' line of defense.

Reacting to this in kind, the bandit who spotted him opened fire. He pounded semi-automatic rounds at the blonde haired man running towards them. However, when he did so, the blonde haired stranger disappeared from sight, zipping into super speed. The bandit was astounded. Suddenly, the man reappeared, this time in front of him. The bandit raised his gun to fire but had it smacked out of his grip when the blonde haired fighter parried it away, as if he were blocking a punch. The gun shattered into pieces on palm contact. The bandit couldn't do anything else as he was swiftly punched twice in the face before being kicked out of the way by a side kick. His body fell to a crumpled heap meters away.

The bandits, drawing their fire away from the fight with the police, spotted the mystery stranger who had already taken down one of their men. The bandit at the 50 caliber in the van closest to the blonde haired fighter wheeled his heavy gun around and opened fire. The loud bursts of the machine gun opened up, threatening to rip the guy apart. But, faster then even a human could react, the blonde haired figure leapt into the air. Back flipping in advance while he was leaping away, the blonde haired man landed on one knees with his hands slammed on the ground for support. Looking up, he suddenly threw both his hands forward and outwards. In so doing, he unleashed a barrage of tiny blasts. It sort of reminded you of bullets being launched through the air, but these weren't any sort of projectile made today. The barrage of ki blasts scarred and wounded a couple of bandits while the rest landed on the van, punching holes in it and seriously injuring the man at the machine gun turret. In advance, the van's engine burst into flames, exploding and taking out the front two tires. Smoke hurled into the air from the explosion.

The remaining bandits began opening fire on their new target, intent on hitting him. Shot gun rounds rang out, accompanied by AK 47 fire, 50 caliber machine gun fire and pistol fire from the man who had been arming the RPG. The shots fired struck their crouched target alright, but as it turns out, they had no effect whatsoever. Slowly, the blonde haired man rose to his feet while bullets continued bombarding him. Glaring up at the bandits, his eyes flashed a dangerous red, even though they were teal in color. When the bandit at the front of the pack ran out of ammo for his shotgun, he frantically began reloading it. He didn't have time too when suddenly, the blonde haired fighter launched into battle. Leaping through the air at an extraordinary height, the man spun through the air in preparation for attack. Diving towards the man with the empty shotgun, the unknown figure launched a kick at the bandit, hitting him in the chest and sending him back into the van behind him. The hull of the van caved in as the bandit became embedded in the side of it. His weapon fell uselessly to the ground.

Now landed, the blonde haired figure shot towards the next nearest guy. The robber was frantically shooting at him with a semi-automatic M16 rifle. His rifle was butted away and his face was pounded by a hook. Quickly, without letting up, the man shot towards the next guy. Grabbing the AK 47 the bandit held, he advanced swiftly, pulling the guy towards him and elbowed him across the face, knocking him out. Then, once the guy was fallen, the fiery warrior took a strike at the guy beside him with a swift upper cut, followed by a punch. All throughout the fight so far, the blonde haired figure kept a serious, blank face. It was like he wasn't even trying.

The last man at the 50 caliber machine gun was still pummeling rounds at the unknown figure, as were the other three remaining bandits. One of which was the man with the RPG. With his back turned to them, the blonde haired fighter stood up, turning around while bullets continued riddling his body, even though they did nothing. When he turned around, the remaining bandits began backing off, all of them still firing at him. The young man scowled and suddenly, raised his left hand and finger. With a quick flash and a sudden crack, a small, golden blast shot at the bandit with the M16. The guy was struck in his right shoulder, downing him instantly and toppling him. The gold fighter then turned to the guy with the AK 47. While the bandit was still firing at him, the blonde warrior raised his right hand, capturing in an invisible energy bind. The guy's arms and legs locked together suddenly, invisible golden strings of energy encasing him. His gun dropped to the floor.

Satisfied, the golden warrior lifted the guy up into the air before tossing him at the bandit behind the 50 caliber machine gun. The bandit plummeted on top of the guy, knocking them both inside the van. With a concluding finish, the blonde haired fighter made a series of hand movements and fighting form stances before throwing both hands forward, his left hand straight out while his right tucked underneath slightly. The van he was aiming for suddenly got crushed. It was lifted off the ground slightly before being crunched up like a coke can, huge dents forming with a lot of damage made to it. After that swift jump, it fell back to earth, lying in a crumpled heap.

Standing back up again, the blonde haired warrior turned to the last remaining bandit. The man, who was supposedly scared shitless, was now taking up the RPG into his hands. When it was propped onto his shoulder and he had taken aim, the guy pulled the trigger and fired. The rocket shot straight for the blonde haired fighter, on a course of destruction. But, as calm as he was throughout his fight, the blonde haired figure raised his left hand and moved it out to his left, taking control. The rocket that was originally meant for him suddenly flew around him and shot straight back at the one who fired it. The bandit lowered his weapon and gaped in disbelief underneath his mask. He managed to utter one 'eep' before the RPG rocket struck the earth in front of him. The blast threw the guy back, pieces of shrapnel sticking into him and embedding deeply. The bandit fell to the ground several meters away from where he originally stood. He was still alive, but was badly wounded. He cried out in agony, clutching his legs where he caught most of the flying debris. For all he knew, the battle was over.

Lowering his left arm to his side again, the young warrior glared at the scene he had just created. The vans were destroyed, the bandits were either unconscious or withering around him in agony and the people were safe. There may have been a few casualties, but he had to live with those losses. While he was observing the work he had done, he heard loud clicking sounds and looked around him.

Surrounding him on all sides, the blonde haired figure, dubbed the Gold fighter, found himself confronted by a squad of SWAT team members. These guys were armed with M16A1's with sniper scopes and laser sights, all of them aiming their weapons at him and scattered in formation. One of the officers shouted "Freeze, don't move!" meaning that they'd fire if he tried to make a run for it.

Gohan glowered at the problem he was facing now, seeing himself surrounded and with not many escape routes. Actually, he could escape whenever he wanted, he just didn't want this to turn into another fire fight. Now opposed by resistance, he complied with hat the officer had shouted and remained still, glaring at them with teal eyes. But out of sight, he covered up the High school badge he wore on his turtle neck with his trench coat. His left hand creaked as the metal joints of his mechanical arm grinded against others when he clenched his fist tightly.

For a few moments he stood where he was, watching the SWAT team members glaring him down. Suddenly, after a few more seconds of waiting, a couple of the armor clad riot police parted, allowing a familiar person to slip through. Gohan raised an eyebrow when he saw it was the raven haired girl from school. Now he was really starting to get nervous. He hoped she didn't recognize him.

Videl smirked at the Gold fighter when she stopped in front of him, placing her hands on her hips and giving him the look. Gohan took it as nothing and just stared back, seeing the pigtailed teenager stare up at him. Videl couldn't help but take him in as admirable.

"Now why is it that I suddenly find you in a middle of a clash, Gold fighter?" Videl asked him. Gohan glared at her, glancing about the scene momentarily before looking back at her. He noticed that crowds of people were beginning to gather outside of the SWAT perimeter. Whispers rang out as well as murmuring. A TV crew had also made an appearance, making Gohan worried. He hoped his mother and brother weren't watching.

He looked back at Videl after inspecting the wrecked vans and streets. Police had already started rounding up the bandits. "Coincidence…" he blankly replied. Videl nodded.

"That's for sure. And this comes to me as even more of a mystery. So start talking. Who are you?" Videl demanded more then asked, pointing out the obvious blockade of the SWAT squad. Gohan snorted, his eyes glowing.

"I am something you don't understand…" he replied. Suddenly, right before their very eyes and to everyone's shock, the Gold fighter vanished. Looking around, left and right, up and down, the SWAT squad tried to find their target. But seconds later, they realized that he was gone and fanned out, searching for him or going to clean up the mess. Videl was still standing where she was, surprised beyond belief.

After looking at the empty air space the young man once stood, she gritted her teeth and stomped her foot on the ground. He had done it again, disappeared…

"DAMN!"

* * *

_**Orange Star High school…**_

_**Recess…**_

"DAMN!" Videl shouted, slamming her fists onto the cafeteria table she was sitting at with Sharpener and Eraser. The two of them were staring at the raven haired girl as she cursed at herself, swearing under her breath. By the way she was acting and how stressed her hair looked, they could tell she was frustrated about something. The question was what?

She looked up at them with one of her famous irritated expressions. Her eyes flared and her fists were clenched tightly. Everyone knew that she was a bomb waiting to explode. All it took was the right moment and the people around her that deserved to bare the brunt of her rage. Sharpener and Eraser hoped they weren't going to be the ones standing next to her when it happened.

"That Gold fighter bastard is so illusive. I can barely even talk to the guy. First he steals my job and to top it off, he's an arrogant hot head who thinks he can get away with everything!" Videl practically shouted. Sharpener grunted and crossed his arms, looking with mild sympathy at the girl. Eraser was indifferent to her condition.

"Come on Videl, you don't even know they guy. He's only showed up twice, it's not like he's following you or something. Unless you have any hard evidence to prove that he's a jerk then why not let us in on it," Sharpener asked. Videl crossed her arms as well and supported herself on the table, glaring more hardly at the blonde haired jock.

"He just is OK!" Videl growled. Sharpener rolled his eyes.

"Figures…"

Eraser grinned happily, trying to add some positive waves to this conversation. "Hey, why don't you and the Gold fighter team up? I mean, you two both fight crime, and you are both strong. So, the way I see it, if you both team up, then you'll both be unstoppable!" Eraser exclaimed. Videl faked a smile.

"That's great Eraser!" she exclaimed. "But there is just one problem. How the hell can I talk to the guy when he always disappears even if he is surrounded! It's like the guy is an illusion!"

Sharpener shrugged. "He can't be. He took out all those bandits single handedly. Illusions can't do that." Eraser nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, they can't." Videl scowled and tapped her chin in thought, glancing around. She needed to find an answer to this puzzling mystery.

"I can agree that illusions can't do that. I mean, the gun fire is all real. But people can play tricks. I don't know what it is, but I think the Gold fighter is in league with all these criminals. I have reason to believe that he wants to be seen as a hero, and when everyone has softened up because of him, including all law enforcers…WHAM!" Videl slammed her fist into her palm. "You can say goodbye to justice. The guy has everyone tricked." Eraser sighed and nodded, her head placed in her hand.

"Yeah, you can say that again," she sighed dreamily. "He's such a stud…" Sharpener looked at his friend oddly for the moment then looked back at Videl. He gave her a rather convincing stare.

"Come on Videl, the guy's been doing well so far. He's done the people a lot of good. Heck, you should be thankful too," Sharpener said. Videl grumbled, her arms still crossed but tightening.

"I would if he wasn't stealing my job. Crime fighting is what makes me…me," Videl said, poking her thumb into her chest. Eraser giggled and drew a circle on the table in front of her.

"Yeah, and it's molded you into the person you've always wanted to be," Eraser exclaimed. Videl scowled over at the blonde haired girl. Her eyes didn't waver or shake; she was all cold and steely.

"You know who I really want to be Eraser, stop playing games with me," Videl stated. Eraser smiled kindly and nodded enthusiastically.

"I know, I'm just keeping it secret, just like you said!" she girl exclaimed. Videl slapped her hand to her face and ran it down, trying to not seem too annoyed. She then breathed in deeply and placed her hands back on the edges of the table. She closed her eyes, her brow furrowing.

"Just don't talk about it…or mention it…"

Eraser shrugged and smiled happily. "Sure thing!"

Videl laced her fingers together and looked up at the pair again. "Look, I'm not saying I don't like my life, or this Gold fighter guy, it's just that it can be so hard sometimes," Videl expressed. Sharpener shrugged.

"Life isn't easy," he explained. Eraser smiled at him.

"Very wise Sharpie, very wise!" she joyfully exclaimed.

Videl rubbed the bridge of her nose. She wondered how her friends had ever ended up like they were now. Hell, a lot of things changed. Well, while they were talking, Videl rested her head on her on her hand, propping it and looking at the pair with lack of interest. Though all she heard was little, she could tell a lot was going on around her. Both Sharpener and Eraser were having an animated discussion while other students in the cafeteria minded their own business. The girl sighed in boredom.

It was only the feeling of a familiar presence standing nearby was Videl drawn back into reality. Feeling eyes bore into the side of her head, she looked up and turned to glance over her shoulder. It came to her as somewhat of a surprise when she saw Gohan standing a few yards away, his eyes locked onto her and just, well…standing there. He held in his right hand a bottle of water and in his left he held an apple. The two items he carried he ignored for now as he stared across at the raven haired girl, a few students passing through his gaze.

Videl stared back, still a little surprised. She then blushed involuntarily when the full realization of who was staring at her came into focus. She smiled at him and waved. Gohan nodded curtly in kind and, with a second's glance, turned and walked away, disappearing through the double doors that led outside. Videl's eyes followed him, completely captivated by the sight. Sharpener and Eraser had noticed Videl's drawn away gave and had also been watching the pair's interaction. They immediately knew that it was Gohan again.

When Videl turned back to them, she saw them staring at her with mild curiosity, both of them blinking. The pigtailed teen stared back for a moment then scowled. "What?!" she demanded. Sharpener and Eraser took the hint and returned to their conversation, not wanting to bare the full brunt of Videl's wrath.

Satisfied, Videl propped her head again and stared off into her own little world. And there he was, Gohan, standing there as if he was, in her eyes. He was looking at her, but not with a glare, with a smile. He looked so dashing, dressed neatly in his trench coat, army trousers; boots…glove…hair…

The sudden image of the Gold fighter popped into her head, surprising her. When she compared Gohan's outfit to the one the Gold fighter wore today, as well as the outfit Gohan wore the other day, also comparing that to yesterday's Gold fighter, she found that both their dress wears were the same. It flashed in and out of her mind so many times. Why hadn't she noticed? She saw a resemblance in both of them, but could not fit them together perfectly as they were both different in a way. Their hair color and…their eyes…

Videl's mind pondered while her expression remained surprised yet passive. _"It can't be…I mean, two days, two sets of clothing…similarities in more then one way! But i-it can't be possible…can it?"_

* * *

_**Math Study class**_

_**Afternoon**_

The school day was coming to a close with the end of the day study session. Gohan and his entire class were hard at it, digging into their books and scraping through their brains every possible answer they could dish out. The scratching of the pens and pencils against the graph pad was all that was heard. To some, this scene would be really edgy and uncomfortable, and with the silence going on, it made it worse still. But, since it was for a good cause, they made the most of the time they had now.

Gohan was no longer at work and was leaning back in his seat, arms crossed and eyes tightly shut. His work was done for the day, and he was now resting. His trench coat was still on and he was, well…doing practically nothing. Under the skin, he was actually meditating.

The silence dragged on for several more minutes, the clock ticking away at a timed pace. It wasn't long till the peace and quiet was disrupted by the sudden ring tone of what appeared to be a cell phone. Gohan's eyes opened and he turned to the source of the sound, as did every other student in the class. It was quite sudden and a real surprise. Some of the students were fearful it was their phones. But as it turns out, it happened to be Videl's watch ringing.

The raven haired girl looked at her watch immediately and lifted it to her. She pressed the red button on the side of the device and spoke into it. "This is Videl, what's happening chief?"

"_**We've got real serious problems down town, Videl!"**_ the watch responded in kind, the chief on the other end getting through to the receiver. _**"A group of mercenaries from the Shinobi Island has taken over the Imperial Silver Hotel and are demanding for the release of captured terrorists. We believe they are working for the Shinobi terrorist movement! They have hostages! We need assistance now!"**_ The chief sounded desperate. Videl wasn't going to pass off this opportunity now. She nodded affirmatively.

"I'll be right there!" Closing her book quickly, the girl got to her feet and scampered down the isle, down the stairs and toward the door. She waved to her teacher. "Sorry Mr. Lee, trouble over at the Imperial Hotel, terrorist problem!"

The teacher nodded in understanding and waved in return, just as Videl pulled open the door and dashed out of sight. "Okay Miss Satan, be careful!" He was certain she didn't get the message because right now, she was way out of ear shot. The classroom door closed on its own accord, clicking into place.

Gohan had watched the whole commotion unfold before him. His brow furrowed at this and he unfolded his arms, leaning forward. His eyes remained firmly locked on the door as his mind pulled him into thought. The thought of Videl going off to fight crime and save the day suddenly became a concern to him. He never even realized a girl like herself would put her life on the line. How could so many people have so much hope in her, just like they had with her father. He spat in disgust but never the less, he knew he had to help.

Getting to his feet, he packed up his gear and walked down stairs. He handed his assignment to the teacher at the desk, who took it without hesitation. With that pushed aside, Gohan walked out of the room and into the hallway. It only took him a few seconds to get down to his locker, put his stuff away before dashing up to the roof via the stair well.

Bursting through the door, Gohan ran to the edge of the school and stopped, his foot firmly placed on the cement emplacement that was built as a concrete railing. He looked through the skies momentarily, his clothes wiping in the winds blowing at medium through him. It only took Gohan a few moments of searching till he finally spotted what he had been looking for: Videl's yellow jet copter flying off towards some unknown part of town. When he followed her suspected path, he saw a pillar of black smoke rising into the air in the distance, a clear sign of what the girl was going to step into. He scowled with discomfort.

"That girl…she's too outclassed to be fighting against those odds," he stated, sensing a whole bunch of ki's in the direction he was extending towards. "Guess her determination is only matched by her spirit and will to fight after all…"

Without a second thought, Gohan leapt over the side of the building and fell several stories towards ground level before kicking himself into flight mode. Pulling up just before he hit the ground, he shot off into the skies and after Videl's flying vehicle. With the speed he was soaring at, he was bound to catch up with her. Just to play it safe, when he eventually did catch up with her, he kept his distance. He flew several yards behind the jet copter, making sure he stayed out of sight. Though ravaged by wind, he only focused on the situation at hand.

A minute or two passed quickly, and when it did, he saw the scene flash from clear skies to a raging battle going on below. Surrounding a marble building that stood proudly high above the ground, Gohan saw a border of police cruisers, ambulances and armored cars. Gun fire was breaking out, and the smoke rising into the came from the building itself. Hardening his glare even more, Gohan dropped altitude. He dived towards a nearby building and landed on top of it, his feet padding gently against the surface. When he was balanced, he stared down at the area far below. He was shocked at the sight below.

The once glorious sight of the building was no more then a war torn hotel now. He thought he had seen the clean, white marble structure as something to marvel at, but as it turns out, it was a dirty grey with holes punched all over it. It was damaged severely with a raging fire shooting its burnt essence up into the air in the form of a thick cloud, emerging from the largest hole on the roof. All windows were blown out but now boarded up with several left open that held heavy machine gun crews. Shielded Hotchkiss machine guns were propped up in the windows, firing their 8mm Lebel rounds down at the surrounding police forces. They made sure they kept them down and at bay.

Further inspections of the building told Gohan that this was one hell of a stronghold. It made him think how it could have gotten so damaged and battle torn. The answer came to him by five tanks, each stationed on all sides of the hotel. They were Abram M1A1's, their 20 pounder guns pointed up at the hotel. Also mounted on these ferocious beasts were electromagnetic pulse guns and heavy 50 caliber machine guns. Unfortunately for the crew, they were unable to get any soldiers up to the guns to shoot up at the hotel. Gohan figured that when they found out about the hostages they stopped firing up at the building.

Not only was the hotel defended by turrets, but snipers, anti-tank crews and infantry were also posted at the open windows. They picked off all sorts of police officers, explaining the presence of the ambulances and medic bays. Gohan scowled at the scenery again before looking down at the police lines. He saw Videl's jet copter parked within the barrier of cop cars and Videl herself rushing over to the chief on the front. She kept her head low, just so she didn't get hit.

Videl walked up to the chief behind one of the police cruisers and tapped him on the shoulder. The middle built, officer dressed in a real formal tunic turned round to see who was getting his attention. When he saw it was Videl, he was sort of relieved. The raven haired girl nodded to him.

"What's the situation?" she asked. The chief turned toward the hotel again and pointed up the path leading to the barricaded front door of the five-star hotel. Videl's eyes were averted to this picture. Shots continued to ring out all around.

"We have a mercenary armed guard in there, at least 50 of them. That makes an entire platoon. They have 15 hostages, women, children and hotel staff. Their demands have been made clear and if we do not have a reply to them within the hour, they'll kill a hostage. It's rough," the chief explained. Videl nodded.

"Okay, so the enemy strength is accurate enough. What do we have?" the chief shrugged.

"We have a total of 136 police units and a division from the King's Royal Army. There are snipers posted all along the surrounding buildings. We also have five SWAT teams ready to move in, as well as the support of the King's Royal Army. We've got five tanks, thirty police cruiser units, ten military trucks, two halftracks and seven riot carts. We have off loaded M60's and the boys of our teams and the military are also armed with M16's, Shotguns, side arms, MP5's, Lee Enfield's and L96A1 sniper rifles. We tried to send a RV to try and bust down that door but we were hit by an anti-tank projectile," the chief said, pointing out a smoking, green armored car right in front of the gate rounding the hotel. Videl noted it and eyed the hotel again, still keeping low.

"So, these aren't ordinary mercenaries or street gangs. What have they got?" The Chief shrugged.

"We ventured a guess on a few of them, but the anti-tank gun that destroyed the RV and a couple more of our police cruisers was definitely a Boys Anti-tank rifle. The mercenaries are also armed with AK 47's, Thompson's, 'Grease' guns, RPK's and Uzi's. No doubt they've got some serious fire power. It's clear they don't want to give up this hotel soon enough."

Videl nodded in understanding. "Alright. When I give the signal, I want the Abram tanks to lay down whatever fire they can onto the building while me and seven other SWAT officers move in. I intend to bust in there and take them all on! I'll get those hostages out!"

Gohan heard this from way up on his vantage point and he was astounded beyond belief. The girl had guts, but she was clearly out of her mind as well. He gritted his teeth and balled his fists. Strangely enough, his metallic arm didn't creak at all. He didn't care though. His mind was in a fit of frustration.

"_There is no way they'll be able to get in there, that place is like a fortress. Nothing short of a tactical air strike will be able to crack that place open. They'd need an entire army to raid it!"_ Gohan thought. Having made up his mind, Gohan prepared to jump into battle. Then, he realized one important fact. Backing down a little, he locked at his hair and down at his clothes. It didn't take him long for his thoughts to come back to him as he examined himself.

"_Even in Super Saiyan I'm still recognizable. Super Saiyan 2 isn't good either. I'll have to change a few things…"_

Feeling as it was the better thing to do; Gohan took off his trench coat, dog tags and turtle neck. He folded them up neatly and piled them on the floor, making sure they were tucked away nicely. His gloved arm was now revealed, but he didn't let it bother him. Stretching out his limbs for the moment and cracking his neck, Gohan transformed. In a flash of blinding light and a slight yell, a golden aura burst around him. Instantaneously he went from a change from base form to Super Saiyan 3. His once short hair stretched down to knee height and flashed pure gold. His muscle span also increased three times as it would when transforming to Super Saiyan. His skin also hardened in texture, making it look steely and his eyebrows disappeared. On top of that, his eye color changed to dark green pupils and turquoise irises. The transformation was completed in a split second, with the new Gold fighter ready to take to action. He scowled at himself and nodded in appreciation.

"Ahh yes, that's much better," he exclaimed in a low voice. He then looked up, his serious expression up and in full form. "Now let's get this done…"

The ferocity of his aura died and in another flash, Gohan shot into super speed, his body disappearing into thin air. In the meantime, Videl was stationed behind another one of the police cruisers, accompanied by seven SWAT officers. They were all watching and waiting for the tanks to open fire. But as it turned out, getting their weapons on line was harder then they thought. That wasn't the only problem to arise today. Out of nowhere, a mercenary, dressed in black leather and wearing jeans came out of nowhere. Armed with a RPG, the guy aimed the rocket launcher at the group of police vehicles and fired. The rocket propelled grenade hurled itself through the air, forcing Videl and the other police officer to duck. There was a explosion and a forceful push of wind as another vehicle exploded. When Videl looked to see what it was, she saw to her dismay that it was her jet copter. She shouted a curse and held her fist up at the hotel. The guy who had the RPG was now gone.

"YOU BASTARDS! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT COST! NOW I HAVE TO GET A NEW ONE!" she screamed. However, her complaints and cursing froze when she suddenly saw someone appear a few meters in front of her on the other side of the police cruiser. Her eyes widened in shock, same with the rest of the people watching.

Gohan had appeared in front of them, in Super Saiyan 3 and standing with his back turned to the police squad. His surprise entry was wordless, leaving the observers in a silent state. It took a while for Videl's brain to process this surprise and when she did, she shouted to the unknown stranger. She still didn't recognize him.

"Hey you! Get down! We're under fire here!" she screamed. Gohan flinched and glanced over his shoulder at the girl. Videl was rather caught off guard when she saw his face. It was firm, cold and a bit frightening where she crouched under his hard gaze. However, when a few seconds past, she immediately recognized him as the Gold fighter, a silent gasp escaping her lips.

Gohan glared at her. "I know. You sit back, I'll remove that obstacle for you," he explained. When he was sure he got the message to them, Gohan turned back to the building and the path ahead of him before beginning a slow, steady walk towards the door. As he walked towards the gates that was blocked by the smoking RV, an unknown force suddenly pushed it out of the way, throwing it to the side like a used toy. It violently crashed to the ground, becoming even more damaged, but was of no concern to Gohan. When that obstacle was removed, the he continued walking on, passing the gate and into the sights of the enemy.

The mercenaries stationed at the forward windows turned their Hotchkiss machine gun turrets onto the unknown figure and without hesitation, began firing down at him. A hail storm of bullets shot out of the muzzles and pounded the golden haired man relentlessly. To much shock, the bullets had no effect on the warrior.

Gohan stopped when he realized he was being shot at and without any pain of effort, as if he were experiencing a normal day, he looked up towards the four windows. There he saw four heavy machine guns shooting down at him, the flashes of light from the heavy guns giving away their positions.

With a grunt of disinterest, Gohan raised both his hands towards the building and, with a slight power up; he sent two ki blasts up at the four gunners. The blasts were aimed directly at the floor below the top window gunners and exploded with sheer force. The destructive capabilities were extraordinary, and collapsed the entire wall front, taking out all four turrets at the same time. Debris, dust, smoke and rubble hurled everywhere, all of which didn't faze Gohan in the least. At the sight of this, Videl and the police were gaping in disbelief. The intensity at what had just transpired was a real eye popper.

This one man was able to breach the enemy defenses without any effort, taking down a part of the fortress at the same time. This is something they wouldn't have accomplished in an entire week.

With no more opposition, Gohan switched targets. Turning to the barricaded door just up the steps making up the entrance, the young Saiyan glared at it, as if his stare would destroy it. That was something he was capable of doing. When he saw the door reveal itself after the smoke had settled Gohan's eyes glowed a brilliant, bright blue for a second before two, narrow beams shot out of his eyes. They struck the door and exploded with equal force to his previous blasts. The barricaded door was destroyed quickly without a second to spare. The fort was now fully breached.

Videl saw the destruction of the barricade, which was also her way in. Without further ado, she ordered her and her squad in to attack. She ran ahead first, followed by the seven heavily armed police officers. They ran past Gohan without a second glance, the young Saiyan still glaring up at the building. He surveyed it some more, noticing the squad entering the complex through the front door. It was of little concern to him of what their task was now. There job was to get in and get the hostages out. He figured he would stand back and watch. But there was a problem.

When his senses came in touch with several more ki levels around the front entrance, he suddenly realized that these weren't cops. He growled in frustration and sprinted into the building, only to be met at the doorway by a massive explosion and a shower of glass, debris and rubble. He gasped in shock and stopped in his tracks. The bellowing flames burst straight out the door, engulfing whatever caught it. Shrapnel and shards of glass also flew out of the flames. Gohan's face may have been caught up in the explosion, but the debris shattered against his steel like skin. It was earth shattering at this proximity. He heard simultaneous cries and gun fire, sounding the huddled masses of panicking police officers that had just entered the enemy stronghold. The shots dragged on for several seconds before ending instantaneously. Gohan was horrified when he sensed six of the seven ki's gone and one more, familiar one dwindling.

"NO!"

He shot into the building at super speed and stopped just inside the entrance to the complex. He stood in the lobby, surrounded by a once beautiful set up. The chipped walls, destroyed tables and battered pillars showed the very heart of the battle that had taken place here. Wheeling round, he caught sight of six dead bodies, all of them ash ridden and burnt. There was a seventh one, the body of Videl lying right in the centre of the room. Her skin, though slightly burnt, was still looking in real bad shape. When Gohan looked up he saw who it was that caused the explosion.

Seven mercenary soldiers stood there, dressed in Latino black leather uniforms with bullet proof vests. An eighth member of the group had a large, metallic back pack on him and a pipe connected to a hose like weapon. Gohan saw that it was a flamethrower, the weapon still active and burning on the tip of the hose.

Shocked at both the sight of Videl's body and the instrument of terror that had harmed her, Gohan became enraged. Fearing for the life of the girl, the young Saiyan let out an angered yell, his ki level shooting up higher and his aura fluctuating violently. This caused the entire building and world to shake. As lightning shot out from his aura, it became clear that he was not going to show mercy now. His glowing gold eyes a sign of this. With a final roar, he shot straight for the shocked group of mercenaries still standing in front of him. Before they could even react, Gohan had already taken out five of them, his fist punching through the chest of a six and his foot colliding with the stomach of another. He kicked the seventh mercenary out of the way before grabbing the man with the flamethrower. His hand gripped the flame gauntlet wielder by the face before ramming him into the ground, crushing his head into the concrete surface. Still having his fist through the sixth guy, he quickly pulled it free, letting the guy fall to the ground. A thud sounded at the conclusion of his work, the mercenary with the hole in his stomach dead and bloodied. A red pool of blood from all eight victims spilled out onto the tiled surface where they lay.

With all eight of the mercenaries downed, Gohan stood up to full height before dashing over to Videl. Knelling beside her, he gathered her up into his arms and checked her pulse. He felt it, it was there, but her ki was dropping rapidly and she wasn't breathing. She looked like she was asleep, but Gohan certainly knew better.

He cursed himself, rubbing his right hand into his face while thinking how stupid he had been when he didn't go in first. His mistake has cost him again, and he was beating himself up for it now. He growled through gritted teeth.

"_No…damn it! Fuck! This is all my fault! I can't believe it! I'm such an idiot! This is the same carelessness that cost me my father's life!"_ he shut his eyes tightly, his body trembling. Feeling Videl's ki fading slowly, his hopes faded with it. However, when his old persona came back to him and the urge to help arose once more, he realized that sitting here and doing nothing wasn't going to help. If he did nothing, then he would be scarred again, and not just physically.

"_Wait…there is still hope!"_ Gohan looked back at her, seeing her pretty face still illuminated by the light of life. The sight of this confirmed his hopes. Still, he had to help her.

Looking around as if trying to find something or someone that would assist him, he gave up and looked back. Considering what he was going to do only once, he made up his mind and decided to do it. Placing his left hand onto her chest, he sent pure, energy into her, a similar energy used to stable the system. As his energy flowed into her, he leaned over and placing his mouth over hers. He breathed into her, trying to get a response through the CPR process. As he did so, he used the combination of his coursing energy to help her lungs start up again and strengthen her heart.

It was that one kiss of life that did the trick. Videl's eyes opened slowly, her vision blurry but slowly focusing.

When she saw the Gold fighter and felt his mouth placed over hers, her eyes shot open in silent surprise. Because of her inability to talk just yet, she could not utter a single word of protest. It came as quite a shock to her.

But when the realization of what had happened before and what was happening now came into light, she relaxed back and, to her surprise as well, began to enjoy the lock of lips. She couldn't help herself. It felt rather good. She closed her eyes and moaned, obviously in enjoyment, only to have the Gold fighter pull off of her. She opened her eyes again and looked up into the face of her savior, seeing him staring down at her with concern.

When Gohan saw that Videl was alive, he was relieved. But after relief surfaced, his serious expression came back to him. Still, it didn't mean his voice afterwards wasn't sounding worried. He was scared for her, and that was for a good reason.

"Are you alright?" he asked with concern. Videl gulped as she stared up at him and nodded, her cheeks reddening under his gaze. Boy, suddenly at this proximity, the guy looked quite attractive. Not only that, his upper body was really fine. God, if he was wearing a top, she wouldn't have noticed. His muscles were unbelievably defined, and that was from her perspective. It was hard not to notice.

After a while, she came to realize what position they were in. He was cradling her in his arms and shielding her, as if he was protecting her. Videl took this rather well and inwardly smiled at it. But then, she was slowly lifted to her feet by the mysterious hero and when they were both up, Videl looked up at him again. Gohan returned her stare and nodded in satisfaction when he saw she was still able to stand.

"Good. I think we should move on. We have to get the hostages out. You let me do the rest." Videl heard him pass on these instructions and nodded affirmatively. With her cooperation confirmed, Gohan turned on his heel and began to walk out of sight toward the hallway on the other side of the lobby.

Before she could follow, Videl lifted her left hand and touched her lips. She could still feel the Gold fighter's lips against hers, as if it were a kiss. The warmth and purity she felt was something of a wonder. Yet, it was so familiar. She blushed even more. After marveling at the feelings rushing through her, she followed after the Gold fighter.

Gohan was walking casually through the corridor in the silence. Videl had caught up with him seconds later and was quietly trotting beside him. The pair of them looked around; eyes and ears open for the slightest sign of opposing resistance. It was while they were walking through the torn up corridor did Gohan sense something and he stopped. Videl stopped too, the two of them standing perfectly still. Videl was worried now, wondering what got the Gold fighter to stop.

Glancing over his shoulder without moving his head an inch, Gohan heard a strange whirring sound. When he came to a realization that this wasn't a live ki, he immediately realized that it was an android of some sorts. It was when he glanced over his shoulder did he saw a man sized robot emerge from one of the doors inside the corridor. This was no ordinary machine. It was some sort of man robot with caterpillar tracks for legs instead of ordinary legs or wheels. It had an upper body and photoreceptors, but it had something else instead of arms. On either side of the shoulder emplacements were two Gatling guns. Videl didn't even realize the thing was behind them.

"Look out!" Gohan shouted wheeling around and stepping behind the raven haired girl. Just as Gohan stepped in front of Videl, the tracked robot fired its weapons. The Gatling guns whirred loudly before exploding with heavy machine gun fire. About 100 deadly projectiles escaped the spinning muzzles of the Vulcan guns within the first few seconds. Gohan took the rounds in the chest, each and every bullet rebounding off his chest ineffectively and striking the walls on either side of him instead. Videl turned around in surprise, also seeing the robot and what was happening. She was astounded that the Gold fighter was standing in the way of the line of fire.

The robot pounded Gohan relentlessly, the orange bolts of the projectiles shooting out of the Vulcan guns illuminating the entire hallway. Every miss shot punched a hole in the surrounding walls ad ceiling. In spite of the ineffectiveness of its weapons, it continued pumping lead into its targets. The Gold fighter stood where he was, a blank expression on his face and his arms by his sides. He didn't even feel the weapons tear at him and bounce off, as if he had projected a invisible shield. He was aware that the weapons were useless against him, but when they were used on an ordinary human, they proved deadly. Gohan knew he had to protect Videl.

After a while of continuously firing, the robot came close to running out of ammunition and would soon have to reload. Gohan did nothing but stand in the line of fire, knowing that if he left Videl then she might get hurt. He couldn't let that happen. He waited and waited, watching as the robot emptied its rounds. A few seconds later, both Vulcan guns had run out of ammunition and the whirring of the weapons was all that was heard. The guns clicked to empty and the robot stopped firing. It looked at its target, scanning them for any damage made. Through its red visors, all it saw were a lot of holes and nothing more. It concluded that its attacks were unsuccessful and that it had failed. There was no more use for it now.

Seeing the robot put at a disadvantage, Gohan raised his right hand and stretching out his finger towards the machine. With a quick pump of ki, he shot an invisible energy blast at the robot. The force of the attack weakened the structure of the corridor as it traveled down it before striking the robot. The Tracked personnel unit was thrown off the ground and thrown down the corridor, its armor chassis crippling under the attack. It crashed some distance away, battered and wrecked beyond repair.

Gohan grunted and lowered his hand, turning around so that he could see Videl. The girl was looking up at him in amazement, her eyes wide and blinking in disbelief. Gohan saw her befuddled expression and flinched. He scowled down at her for a few moments before nodding to her. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

Videl gulped and shook her head. After what she had seen happen, she was still shocked to utter a single word. The Gold fighter took it lightly and just glared at her for a few more seconds before walking past her and continuing on their present course. Videl, slowly and still a little dazed, followed. She had to jog a few times to keep up with the Gold fighter's strides as he was quick on his feet, but never the less she kept up.

Before long, the two of them entered the centre of the hotel. They walked right into the centre, surrounded by the full magnificence of the very heart of the hotel. The walls were white with red banners covering the boarded up windows. The pillars that supported the leveling five floors were gold and the railings were also gold and crafted in design. Above them was a window like dome. The carpets were red and the furniture lying around blended in with the scenery. But there was a problem. Above them, in the ceiling and in the glass dome there was a massive hole punched into it. Smoke gushed out of the gaping home from a burning level high above. There was also a lot of rubble lying around the room with the walls really crack and dirt ridden. The centre of the hotel looked like it had been through hell.

After stopping in the centre of the large expanse of the room, Gohan and Videl began looking around. They inspected the damage that had been done and the doorways that stood open. However, their observations were cut short when all around them mercenaries began popping up out of nowhere.

Jumping up from their hiding places on every level, Gohan and Videl became face to face with a hundred guns. Looking up at around him, Gohan saw the faces of enraged mercenary soldiers while Videl backed up a little, looking frightened. Now she was beginning to fear that they wouldn't be able to get out of this one alive. When she looked up at the man who had saved her twice, she saw that he was standing where he was with a blank, unfazed expression. His eyes just gazed ahead of him in spite of the danger they were in. Videl was shocked that the Gold fighter wasn't doing anything. He just stood there, even when the sound of guns loading reached their ears. Videl stepped over to the Gold fighter and eased up behind him, seeing that more mercenaries had appeared behind them as well. To accompany these flanks of soldiers, twenty more tracked cyborgs also made their presence known. Their Gatling guns loaded with loud clicks and the laser sights they were equipped with pointed directly at the spot where they stood. One of the red dots moved to where Gohan's heart was, making death seem inevitable for the group.

Gohan wasn't impressed. Still, it didn't mean that Videl wasn't in danger. While continuing to stare ahead of him, he spoke up, alerting Videl. "Stay close to me…I won't let them hurt you." Videl didn't see what use standing close to the Gold fighter would be at this time, but without a word, she obeyed and stepped towards him. Gohan wrapped his right arm around her, pulling her close to him. Videl found her cheek and body pressed firmly against his muscled tone and, in an involuntary action, she blushed.

For a few more moments, the pair of them just stood there, faced with overwhelming and dangerous odds. It was during this intense silence that Videl huddled close to the Gold fighter, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him. Gohan still didn't make any move. He didn't have to. Just as the second hand made one final tick, gun fire immediately opened up. It started from one of the mercenaries in front of them, followed up by the reaction time of the tracked anti-personnel units firing their Vulcan chains guns before every single mercenary in the entire hall opened up. Just as they opened fire, a blue shield shot up around Gohan. It was small at first, but it was big enough to protect and defend them. The hail storm of bullets bombarded the shield, disintegrating on impact but continued coming.

Videl let out a scream when the gun fire opened up, but when she felt no pain or death, she opened up her eyes and looked up and around her. To her shock, she saw the shield that was protecting them before looking up at the Gold fighter. She saw him standing there at ease, still staring ahead of him and with that serious look on his face. While she was looking up at him, amidst the gun fire continuing to pound at the blue shield, she noticed something that captured her attention.

His eyes…his eyes and face were so familiar. Looking up at him from this angle and at this proximity, she could see a similarity between him and Gohan. The Gold fighter's eyes burned with the same intensity and had that ever cold glimmer in them as Gohan, and his face was as defined and formed like the spiky haired student. Though she wasn't for certain it was Gohan, her thoughts were confirmed when he looked down at her. She stared into his eyes directly and he stared back at her. Though they were covered in that cold glaze and were different in color, there was no mistaking the familiarity she felt from their stare. He also had that small glimmer of warmth in them that captured her own gaze whenever she looked into them. It was from that moment did she realize who he was. Under all that long blonde hair, turquoise eye color and lack of eyebrows, she knew at once that it was Gohan.

Still staring up at him in surprise, Videl blinked a few times before uttering just one word. "G-Gohan..?"

Gohan showed no emotion whatsoever in his expression. But despite the lack of visual expression, he was shocked on the inside. He thought momentarily to how the girl knew it was him but he shook it off. Maybe she was just having a wild guess. It just wasn't normal. So, setting the question aside for now, Gohan closed his eyes before looking up, opening them a split second later. With a quick power up, Gohan expanded his shield. The blue energy barrier was still being pounded by gunfire. But because it posed no real obstacle to overcome, the shield expanded and grew rapidly. In a flash of light, the shield shot outwards and consumed all those caught up in its expansion in a fiery hell. The mercenaries caught up in the blast were burnt badly by it before being hurled backwards through the air by a violent force. The robots that were present were annihilated, their circuits overloading before they exploded altogether. Within moments, all opposition was eliminated and Gohan was free to lower his shield.

The energy barrier that had destroyed the room dissipated and Gohan relaxed again. With a sigh, he shook his head and looked back down at Videl. The girl was still staring up at him, filled with awe, admiration and astonishment. Gohan took her expression as nothing to question about, figuring that she was just shell shocked. But when she spoke, Gohan knew that this was a serious matter…for him that is.

Videl, still hugging him, pulled away from him a little. She continued to stare up at him, her gaze not wavering in the least. "Gohan…it is you…isn't it? I know you are him…please tell me…"

Gohan closed his eyes tightly at this and turned away, as if ashamed at himself. He opened his eyes again a second later and looked back at her. When he spoke, his voice was croaky, clear evidence that he was lying. "I don't know him…" Videl frowned and fisted her hands and struck him in the chest. Even though it was like hitting a brick wall, she pounded him a few times before stopping. Tears welled up in her eyes as she glared up at him.

"Don't lie! I know you're Gohan, please just tell me! You have the same face, the same glove and the same eyes! You have to be him!" Videl cried, still glaring up at him with forced anger. She tried to convince him to speak up, but she knew it was useless. Feeling heart broken, she placed her head on his chest and started sobbing, her body trembling. Gohan looked down at her, a little astounded that the girl was breaking up like this. He was also surprised when she continued to speak through her tears, her voice shaky. "Y-You h-have to be him… you just h-have to be…"

Gohan stared down at her for a few more seconds, wondering whether he should answer or whether he shouldn't. But before he could even process his thoughts, he sensed one more ki level heading towards him. However, despite how low it was, he also sensed another, unfamiliar energy. Once more it was that of an android, but it was bigger and more powerful. Gohan growled and looked up to the second floor.

Loud footsteps echoed throughout the entire hotel, the earth trembling at their feet. Videl felt and heard it too and looked up and in the direction it was coming from. Seconds later, as Gohan and Videl looked up at the second floor down one of the hallways they saw a massive shadow emerge and leap off of the balcony. The hulking thing plummeted straight towards them and, in reaction to this, Gohan grabbed Videl and leapt out of the way, just as the thing landed right where they were once standing, crashing to the ground and shaking the entire building violently.

When Gohan landed with Videl in his arms seconds later, away from the danger, he set her down and spun around. His eyes fell upon the monster that had just jumped them. When he saw what it was, he was rather surprised. The thing that had attacked them was a giant, dark green machine of some sorts. It was after looking it over a couple more times did he see that it was an Armored Personnel Unit (APU). Technically, it was an APU armored body suit that was built to resemble the body frame of an orangutan but was made to look fearsome and painted green. It had a blue shield visor for whoever was driving it, and to top it all off, it had a Gatling gun built on under its stomach with two more chest guns. More amazingly enough was that it moved so fast and looked quiet agile.

After it had crashed to the ground, the machine rounded on the pair of them, letting out a loud whir sound and positioning itself for another attack. Gohan was still a little surprised, but after seeing it take an attack stance, he decided to attack now and defend Videl from harm. With no other option, he shot straight for the machine. He used a speed that would have outmaneuvered it and allowed him to attack it, but when he sent a punch at it, one of its long arms reached out and grabbed it in a three finger grip. Since it only had three fingers, including the thumb, it was understandable.

Frustrated and astounded that this machine was that strong, Gohan tried to ram the thing in the chest with his palm. But just as his hand shot out, the giant machine grabbed it with its other arm, holding him where he was, firmly in place. Gohan growled through effort, trying to pull the thing off of its feet. But all the machine did was tremble as it tightened its grip on his wrists. Videl stared fearfully at the scene unfolding in front of her, seeing Gohan grapple with the massive machine.

The young Saiyan jerked round, pulling the machine with him. With a quick hand movement, Gohan twisted his wrist loose and grabbed the machine's wrist. Placing his feet firmly on the ground, he pivoted on the spot and began spinning it. But with whatever effort he tried, all he did was fling it around, and was unable to get it completely off the ground. The young Super Saiyan 3, as powerful as he was, was outmatched by the monstrous machine. All the while in his grappling match, he couldn't help but wonder what the hell this thing was.

Realizing the danger he was in, as well as Videl, the young Saiyan glanced over at her and yelled. "Videl, get the hostages and get out of here! GO! I'll hold it off!" he screamed. He turned back to the fight just as the machine was beginning to force him back.

Videl did what Gohan asked of her without hesitation. She sprinted off into the dark edges of the hotel, intent on finding the place where the hostages were being kept. The most likely place was the basement. So, she headed there. But just as she was running towards the hall leading to the stair well, the machine spotted her through its rear photoreceptors. Without yielding its grip on Gohan or changing direction, the machine's Gatling gun twisted at its base so that it pointed behind it. With a click and a whir, the weapon fired, sending its deadly projectiles in Videl's direction. The girl cried and ducked, continuing to sprint and evade the deadly rain of fire. She just managed to get out of the line of fire and disappear down the hall, out of sight.

Seeing that the machine had just about harmed Videl, Gohan became even more enraged. With a yell of effort and rage, he kicked the machine at its legs, knocking one of its joints and breaking the metallic covering. With even more force, he enclosed his wrists so that his palms touched together and that the machine would slacken its grip. With the machine put at a disadvantage, Gohan was able to throw it off balance. Pulling it towards him and to his left, he tripped it, making it fall. When it was falling, Gohan yanked his wrists free, allowing him to attack. Spinning around with a quick pivot motion, he sent a powerful, back hammer strike at it with his right hand, slamming it in the 'face' or where the CPU was stored.

The blow shook the earth and cracked the armor plating's of the metallic beast. The armored body suit was thrown back by the force, being sent hurling into a wall with a loud crash. It dented the wall, imprinting it with its own, hard back. When it fell off the wall, it managed to land on its feet, besides its cracked and mangled knee. Gohan balled his fists and took a firm stance, glaring at the machine through gritted teeth.

When the APU was back up, it looked up at Gohan and, without warning, pointed both its hands at him. Its palms opened up to reveal two massive cannons, its finger parting slightly just so that the muzzles stuck out. What followed was a echoing gun shot and a loud bang, as the machine fired its first round. Gohan was struck in the chest by the shot, but was unfazed. The round shattered against him, not doing any damage at all. The second round was fired, the empty shell shooting out of the ejector port. That round hit Gohan right between the eyes, but broke like the last one.

After seeing its attacks fail, the APU raised both arms. The armor of on its arms shifted and changed, loud hissing erupting with a white, visible gas escaping the arms as they transformed into a new type of weapon. A second later, the APU aimed both its arms over at Gohan again. This time, it had two different types of muzzles. These ones were flame gauntlets, something Gohan had encountered before.

Once again, the APU attempted to destroy its target by firing two infused blasts of burning hot fire at Gohan. They gushed out of the pipes, shooting straight at Gohan at maximum speed. Gohan casually raised his left hand towards the blast of fire. He quickly projected an invisible shield, the fire striking the shield and parting. It failed to penetrate his defensive barrier, much to the pilot's frustration. Gohan, not wanting to have to suffer this embarrassing fight ended the gauntlet outpour. He clenched his left hand into a fist, sending his energy beyond his shield and towards the arms of the APU. There was a loud crack as the muzzles of the flame gauntlets were crushed. A second later, the pipelines connecting the gauntlets to the packs of the machine beast exploded. The fuel inside the machine also ignited with the fuel pack on its back exploding into a shower of flames.

The body suit toppled over, falling onto its wrecked hands. The fire raging on its back however failed to yield the machine's constant drives. Gohan let out a growl when he saw it get back to its feet and the machine raised its arms again. The destroyed gauntlets changed once more, turning back into its original hands. When they were back to normal, the beast slammed its fists onto the ground and aimed its Gatling gun and chest machine guns onto its opponent. All at once, two slots on its back opened up, revealing a line of rockets tied to it and ready to fire. Gohan just stood where he was, seeing the efforts made by the APU. There was a loud whoosh and another mechanical whir as the machine's weapons opened up. The rockets on its back shot out and spun through the air before shooting straight at Gohan. The Gatling gun underneath it also opened up, followed by the two 20 mm's in its chest. Loud bangs rung out as the guns fired, their projectiles hurled at their targets. Gohan was prepared.

With a quick hand movement, he averted the course of the rockets aimed at him and sent them back at the APU. The bullet fired by the Gatling gun and the two 20 mm's caught up with some of the rockets, the larger projectiles exploding from the impact. In spite of this, four of the eight rockets fired continued flying straight for the APU. With a resounding display of explosions, the APU was struck back by its own rockets, sending it into the wall again.

This time, Gohan wasn't going to let it recover. Powering up two ki balls in his hand, he sent the one in his right straight at the body suit. It shot straight for the APU and struck it in the chest, denting it with the explosion and pushing it more into the wall. The beast continued to stagger. Seeing it fail, Gohan sent the other one at it, this one more powerful and enough to devastate a building. It once again struck it in the chest and exploded with more force, punching a hole straight into it. Seeing that it wasn't enough, Gohan honed in on his assault. With the golden energy still glowing in his palms, he approached the machine while continuously throwing ki attacks at the APU. With every energy ball that struck the walking body suit, it exploded, punching yet another hole in it or denting it even more.

Gohan showed no remorse or mercy, continuing to hammer away at the beast with continuous attacks. He let out a yell when he charged up a energy blast in his right hand. Holding his hand forward, he released the attack. The golden blast shot through the air like a bullet before, on a course of destroying the APU. But that wasn't Gohan's intention. The machine looked up just in time to see the attack heading towards it and, with a final beep, the machine was struck in the right side. The blast tore through it like paper, sending it into the wall not as a whole, but in pieces.

The remains of the machine collapsed to the ground when the smoke cleared, revealing a badly shaken mercenary sitting in the control seat of the APU. Inside of it revealed a whole mass of computers and what had made up the APU were wires, pivot mechanisms, gears and other electronics way more advanced then Dr. Gero's engineering. Gohan took in a deep breath of air and stood up, seeing the man still seated in the APU. His face was a little bruised up and he had blood seeping out of his hair, but he was alright.

With a grunt of disinterest, Gohan walked over to the guy and grabbed him by the shirt. He pulled the guy free of the APU and, finding a cord on the ground, bound the guy's hands behind him and picked him up by the back of his collar. The police would want this guy for questioning later…

* * *

_**Outside the hotel**_

It had been at least half an hour after Videl had gotten out of the centre of the hotel and had released the hostages. With all the mercenaries downed, the police could breathe freely again and were able to help the hostages out of the ruined hotel. Videl accompanied them, standing by the gate and watching the medics attend to the injured. She was also surprised to see many of the mercenaries walk out of the hotel with their hands behind their heads and glum looks on their faces. They looked all burnt and bruised, but nothing really serious. They were the ones that had been fried by the Gold fighter's energy attack.

While Videl watched the line of at least 30 mercenaries walk by, escorted by a SWAT team, she suddenly saw the Gold fighter emerge from the building and walk out towards the street. Upon seeing him, Videl rushed over to him, wanting to see if he was alright.

When she reached Gohan, the two of them stopped in front of each other at the sight of the person. Gohan looked down at Videl and Videl looked back at him. The young Saiyan was still in Super Saiyan 3 to no surprise, but Videl didn't mind it. However, she was wondering how he was able to grow his hair so long.

After a while of silence and staring at each other, amidst the police officers entering the building or standing guard, Videl decided to speak up.

"You know…w-when I saw you fight…I…I remembered seeing a similar thing on the Cell games. A little boy and a man dressed in an orange gi. They…like the others with them…a-and Cell, they were able to do the things I-I saw you do. They were simply…amazing," she exclaimed. Gohan remained blank and face impassive. He wanted to hear what she had to say.

Videl shuffled on the spot nervously, trying to find the right words. "So…I was wondering if…well... if you were that young boy at...the Cell Games. If you are...that is," she said quietly, making sure no one else heard her.

The Gold fighter said nothing at first, but was a little daft at this. Should he answer her question? It seemed risky, what with the police officers and all. But after sensing how hurt Videl was before, he couldn't deny her. He slowly nodded his head, answering yes. He may regret this, but he felt he wouldn't. Videl smiled brightly, her eyes twinkling.

Gohan let out a sigh and glanced over at the police. The chief at the very moment was being interviewed by the TV crew that had showed up and was pointing out the mercenary prisoners. He also pointed out Gohan and Videl standing by the gates. Though what he was saying and what the reporter was saying were inaudible, Gohan knew they were talking about them. He looked back at her, his face still steely.

"I…I don't think I can…talk about this now. I…I have to go," he explained. Videl's expression downed a bit. Once again she was looking quite hurt, her eyes sparkling with what appeared to be tears. Gohan closed his eyes and, after a moment or two, he walked round her and headed off in another direction.

Videl quivered. He had saved her life, and yet at this point, he didn't want to talk. She felt it was alright now, but what she wanted to say to him, what she wanted to express was all too overwhelming. She had to.

Spinning around, Videl ran over to the retreating Gohan, grabbing him by his right arm and pulling him around.

"Gohan…"

As expected, Gohan turned to her, a rather surprised look on his face. He stared down at Videl for the moment, seeing her gaze up at him with those sparkling, sapphire eyes. It was hard to resist her intense stare, he could not turn away. From there on in, they both stared at each other. Videl did not blink, nor did Gohan. They were locked in that staring contest for only a short time. The seconds that ticked by though seemed like an eternity. But it ended in the most surprising way possible.

Leaning up, Videl wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in, crushing her lips against his in a heated, passionate kiss. Gohan was shocked, but didn't respond to it. He just stood there, eyes wide open and his hair standing on end. If it weren't for his long, blonde, spiky hair, that action _would_ have taken place.

All those standing around them witnessed this bewildering moment and stared at the pair in surprise. The TV crew was capturing it all, with the chief lost for words. Silence prevailed again, only to be scattered by murmuring and whispering coming to the surface with shouts and wolf-whistles also calling out from the sidelines. Videl ignored them and pressed herself more firmly against Gohan. The young Saiyan didn't reply just yet. But slowly, as feelings arose from deep within him, he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her, returning it deeply and embracing her.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	9. Want

DRAGONBALL Z

STEP BEHIND HUMANITY

**WANT**

Chapter 9

After a minute or so of being locked in that kiss, Videl pulled away, out of breath. She panted, her cheeks red and her hair a little messy. Gohan stared back at her, still surprised by what had just happened. Videl was just amazed and grateful she was able to get that out. It was from that action did it become fully clear how she really felt about him. Gohan on the other hand could not describe the emotions and feelings rushing through him. It was as if his heart had been set alight by a pure, burning flame. It was something he had never felt before.

As they stared at each other, Videl placed her hands on his chest and felt his muscles tense under her touch. She smiled and looked back up at him, her cheeks red. Gohan just stared back at her with a blank, serious look. It looked as though he was back to his old ways. Videl wasn't fussed.

It soon dawned on them that the entire police force, the army and the TV crew was staring at them, their presence having been blocked out in that two minute show of affection. Videl glanced round her once before burying her face into the Gold fighter's chest in embarrassment. Gohan just wrapped his arms around her in a protective way. After seeing the eyes still on them and the muttering going on, Gohan looked down at her and reached up to her face. He tipped her chin up so that her eyes gazed back into his own, the two of them exchanging stares.

He sharpened his stare. "I think its time for you to head on home now," he stated. Videl saw what he was getting to and she nodded in response. However, there was just one problem.

"Yes but…how am I going to get home? My house is on the other side of town and my jet-copter is destroyed. I don't think I'll be able to get through the streets at this time," she explained. Gohan nodded in understanding. He embraced her again, holding her close. Feeling the Gold fighter pull her closer to him, Videl blushed. The warmth he emitted was all the comfort she needed at this time. But that wasn't his intention.

"If that's the case, let me offer my services further…"

Videl looked up at him, curious to what he was going to do. Gohan stared down at her for the moment, his hair blowing in the wind. Strangely enough, she also felt the wind, unable to explain why it was blowing down then to the East. She looked around to find out why.

The girl let out a gasp and she hugged Gohan tighter. During the time she was looking up at him, she didn't even realize Gohan take off. Within seconds, the two of them were now high above the city streets, flying above the buildings with the hotel and the police site shrinking as they floated higher.

Videl's eyes were wide and awe filled as she looked down. She could see everything from up here, much better then when she was in her jet-copter. It was amazing. It was like looking through the eyes of a bird…an eagle. This was so much like her dreams, but way better. There was no way any other person in the world would be able to experience such a thing. Looking up, Videl saw that Gohan was still looking ahead of him as he gained altitude, the winds increasing and the silence becoming more known. After a few more seconds, Gohan stopped in mid-air and floated where he was, suspended. He looked back down at her and nodded.

"Where's your house?" he asked her. Videl, now knowing the climb was over, turned and began scanning the horizon for her home. It was so much easier looking out from her jet-copter since you didn't have the wind wiping at your face, but she found her vision to be much clear. After a few scans of both her left and right, she finally found her home. The building complex stood proudly in the distance, its walls and roof gleaming like a crown jewel. She smiled and pointed in the direction her house was, Gohan looking in the same direction she was.

"There, the big one with the brown roof. It's got a white wall surrounding it," Videl said. Gohan nodded, his eyes flashing and locking onto the building in the distance.

"Good…hold on…"

Videl looked up at him. "Why?" The moment her lips closed at the end of that single word, she felt a rush of wind and a forceful push when Gohan leaned forward and suddenly shot in the direction of her house. She screamed and did what Gohan asked of her, hugging him tightly and shutting her eyes. She hoped that he wouldn't drop her, even though she knew that he wouldn't. If she had opened her eyes, she would have seen the skies and buildings below take the form of a blur as Gohan flew at an incredibly fast rate, faster then any vehicle ever would. It felt as though they were being propelled by a rocket. The Gold fighter was like a bullet, only much, much faster.

About a second later, Videl suddenly felt the world slow and the rushing winds cease. She kept her eyes shut, not wanting to open them just yet incase the ride wasn't over yet. But while she was keeping her eyes closed, she heard Gohan speak. "You can open your eyes now…it's over…"

Videl, hesitant at first, eventually opened her eyes. It came as sort of a shock to her when she found herself back on her feet and standing on the balcony outside her bedroom. Looking up, she saw the Gold fighter staring down at her, a rather perplexed look on his face. Videl blinked in astonishment before smiling, both happily and lovingly. After a nod of thanks, she relinquished her hold of Gohan and stepped back onto solid ground. She staggered a bit, trying to regain her sense of balance. Nevertheless, it was a big relief. When she eventually found her feet, she breathed deeply and walked into her bedroom via the glass doors. The Gold fighter followed suit, making sure she got in alright.

The raven haired girl walked slowly over to her bed. Making sure it was clear, she flopped down on it without a second thought and let out a sigh of relief, gazing up at the ceiling above. Gohan watched her, his expression blank. He felt the warmth of the sun suddenly ebbing away and glanced over his shoulder towards the doors he had stepped through. The sun was setting with the sky glowing bright orange again. He took no note of it, except that it was getting late into the afternoon and looked back at the girl lying on her bed.

When Videl sat up, she looked over at Gohan again, seeing him standing away from her, staring. Videl smiled at him, shuffling on the edge of her bed nervously. She couldn't get over him staring at her; it made her feel warm all over.

Now that Videl was home safe, Gohan nodded curtly to her and turned around. "I brought you home safely, but now I have to go. My presence is not required anymore. Good afternoon Videl." With one last glance over at her, he began walking over to the doors. It was only the voice of Videl calling out to him that made him stop in his tracks.

"Gohan wait…"

The Super Saiyan 3 hero turned and looked over his shoulder at the girl. He saw her standing up now, her expression a combination of surprise and upset. Despite her injuries and wounds, she was still able to stand but would definitely be sore tomorrow, no questions asked. Anyway, she was staring at him with near hurt, not wanting him to leave yet. Gohan turned a bit more so that he was facing side on to her, his cold gaze fading a bit and warming. Videl's eyes wavered.

"Please…don't leave yet…I just want to ask you something…"

Gohan looked skeptical, but obliged nonetheless. "Alright," he said with a nod, "what do you want to ask?" Videl smiled happily.

"Will you still be coming to school tomorrow? I promise I won't tell anyone about today or what I saw…"

Gohan stared at her for the moment, a little surprised. All she wanted was to ask him that? It was pretty simple to answer, especially with her reassurance of secrecy. He nodded to her in response a few seconds later, his expression remaining firm. "Sure I will. And I have your word on this?"

Videl smiled and nodded as well. "Of course. It will just be between you and me…Gold fighter."

With a faint smile and a satisfied response, Gohan waved farewell to her before walking out onto the balcony. Then, with a spirited leap into the air, he took off toward some unknown destination. Videl watched him fly off, seeing his form disappear over her wall. She let out a joyous laugh and waved after him, even after he was long gone.

Gohan had other things to worry about. First thing's first, he had to get his clothes from the roof top…and perhaps collect his stuff from his locker before the school closed…

* * *

_**Son residence…**_

_**Half an hour later…**_

"Oh, hello Gohan! How was school?" Chi-Chi asked when she saw Gohan walk into the kitchen. The young Saiyan slipped his trench coat off his shoulders and hung it on one of the chairs before taking a seat at the table. He noticed that Goten wasn't here and would sooner question his younger brother's absence.

He glared up at his mother, his eyes hardened. "It was fine." He then glanced over at the empty chair beside him and nodded to it. "Where's Goten?" Chi-Chi smiled kindly at him, setting a plate of rice and chicken in front of him.

"He was bored so I sent him to Bulma's for the night so he can have some play time with Trunks. We had Trunks over more times then you can add up so Bulma felt it was her turn to baby sit Goten," Chi-Chi explained, pulling up a chair and sitting ext to her son. Gohan nodded affirmatively and dug into the meal. Being sure not to show the same courtesy he showed when his father was alive, he ate at a slow, steady and well mannered pace. His appetite tonight was undeniable, which was understandable since he had transformed to Super Saiyan 3. It had a big hit to his fatigue level, yet his endurance was tough enough to overcome it.

While the two ate, Chi-Chi wanted to share a more light hearted conversation with him. Maybe the subject she had on her mind now would get a response from her son. She smiled up at him with bright eyes. "I understand there was some excitement in the city this afternoon…the uhh…Imperial Silver Hotel incident…" Gohan glanced up from his food momentarily but then dived back into it, not wanting to talk about it. Chi-Chi on the other hand pressed on, trying to get at least a few words out of her son.

She smiled and poked the ends of her chopsticks in his direction. "You were playing super hero, weren't you. I saw on the live news that some mysterious 'Gold fighter' showed up. I easily recognized the man as you Gohan. How many times have I seen you and your father transform?" Gohan continued eating, as if he were unable to hear her. But his ears throbbed as the information Chi-Chi held was passed onto him. His left hand fisted, the metallic joints creaking with discomfort.

Chi-Chi smirked, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Then I saw that girl. What was her name? Videl? Yeah. I saw what happened afterwards. The camera caught it all. I saw you two kiss…" That seemed to hit on home. Gohan chocked on his food and slammed his fist to his chest a couple of times to clear his air passage. After swallowing the blockage, he stared up at his mother with a more surprised look then she had ever seen him use. Chi-Chi grinned, taking his reaction as evidence to her claim.

"Ahh…so my son still does have a soft spot in him. That is so sweet. Is there…anything I should know about…something that a young teenager like yourself wouldn't tell his parents? Spit it out Gohan. Are you two together…unofficially?" Gohan gritted his teeth, his eyes widening with shock.

"Mom! I don't think I can spit out anything else then what I did!" the young Saiyan shouted, more to the food that he coughed up. He scowled at her. "Look, Videl is just a friend, nothing else. I saved her life and…"

"She returned the favor with a passionate kiss. Oooo…sounds like love to me," Chi-Chi interrupted, her eyes narrowing further down on her son. Gohan chocked again, but on his own words when he couldn't find anything to retort with. Chi-Chi knew she was winning this time, like she did with the proposition about him going to school. She guessed she still had some will power over him after all.

Gohan gulped and remained silent. Chi-Chi smiled and leaned back in her seat. She knew that he was defeated and there was no way he could retaliate. But then again, she did seem to ht him hard with something he really didn't understand. Perhaps she could refresh his memory. She let out a sigh and put her chopsticks down, beginning to talk. "Listen Gohan, it's alright to love someone. When I first met your father, it was when we were kids…not teenagers like you. I remember those days well. We may have been young, but I still fell in love with your father, even if he didn't know what it was…or what marriage was. He was confused, but I helped him along with it and we realized how much we loved each other in the end."

Gohan looked up at his mother. His expression was steely like a statue again but had softened from its regular look. Chi-Chi showed her son the kindest and most sincere of all expressions she could. Her role as a mother has taken her from one extreme to the next, and she was never tired of teaching her children a thing or two. "I could see the way you two interacted on the camera. That girl really warms up to you. If she really likes you and you like her in turn, then maybe you should start showing kindness and affection to her. It's not everyday you fall in love. If you keep all this hidden, then you can get really sick. It hurts to be alone…"

Chi-Chi saddened and looked over at the kitchen window sill. Gohan also looked. He saw, propped up and framed a family photo of him, his mother and his father. The three of them were smiling happily into the camera. His father had his right arm wrapped around Chi-Chi in a hug. His father also had his left hand placed on his shoulder. The Gohan in that picture looked so happy. While in this reality, he was cut deep down to the soul. Chi-Chi's eyes wavered when she looked at the picture, remembering all the times she had spent with that man.

"After his brother killed him, Goku hasn't had much time for me since then…but I still love him. I always felt a hurt when he was gone…training and what not. But even with the smallest of moments, I always took the time to make it as memorable as possible." Chi-Chi then smiled and looked over at Gohan, seeing him staring back at her. "You are just like him Gohan. You may seem tough, but you're still shy and a little naïve to admit your feelings to that girl. Ever since Cell, you've been pushing people away. Why not start letting people into your circle again? We all miss the Gohan you used to be."

The young Saiyan didn't reply for a while. He thought about everything Chi-Chi had said to him…everything. He extended his thoughts further back to when he was younger. All those happy memories still existed in his mind. It seemed like it was only yesterday when his family went out together and spent time with all the Z-fighters. Gohan had never felt so happy. These were his most joyous of all memories.

He was considering these things carefully, but it was the sound of his metallic hand creaking and grinding was he brought back into reality. His eyes furrowed with pain and anger. His arm seared hotly as it was not apart of him. Gohan wished that he could go back and stop Cell from destroying his arm and killing his father. If only he could correct his mistakes. If only he had a second chance…

Then Videl appeared in his head. The raven haired girl was smiling at him, giving him one of her most beautiful smiles. Although he wouldn't admit it, she was really beautiful. Her personality, her strong spirit and her fighting prowess…they were the things within her that attracted him most. Her beauty was just a bonus. When he first went to school, Videl was the only person who treated him like a normal human being. She was the only one who opened up to him and the only one to try and get close. At least she made an effort too. She also showed him kindness and affection. Videl was different from everyone. Just seeing her made him feel…positive inside…more alive.

His hands clenched continuously, but no sound emitted. His ears caught this and he glanced down at his left arm. He moved his fingers and wrist. Usually it would be grinding now, just like several seconds ago. But when Videl's image appeared in his head, his hand lost all tension and stress. Gohan raised an eyebrow and raised his arm onto the table. Chi-Chi watched him curiously, wondering what was going through his mind. Gohan glared at his arm for another second. Then, grabbing it, he pulled it off, the straps relinquishing their pressure hold. When his shiny, silver, machine arm came into focus, Gohan looked at it. He moved his arm around, his joints silent. It caught him off guard when he found that it did not make any damaged sounds. It always made sound, but when Videl came into the picture, his arm ceased to complain.

Gohan stared at it in surprise and astonishment. "My arm…its…it's not…

Chi-Chi smiled. "It's starting to fuse with you Gohan…as one. Maybe it knows that you are no longer experiencing an internal conflict. Videl I take it…"

Gohan looked up at his mother, befuddled beyond belief. "But…she can't have. I mean, it's theoretically impossible…" Chi-Chi grinned and raised a finger, pointing at him.

"Ahh. Now that must be the trick. It may not seem possible from the point of theory, but deep down…everything seems to relax, even your arm. I don't know what it is, but it has something to do with your attraction to Videl. She has changed you a lot, everyone can see…"

Gohan stared at his mother for a few more seconds his eyes wide. It took him a while to process the information she had given him, but sooner then later, Gohan accepted it. He smiled…

* * *

_**Satan residence…**_

"Videl, can I see you for a moment," Hercule asked as he opened the door to his daughter's room. He saw Videl sitting at her desk, fixing the injuries she had received from today's events. The sun had set over the horizon and night had come in quickly. All of her lights in her room were on, allowing clear visibility.

When Videl glanced over at the door, she saw her father there and, responding to his question, she nodded with a smile.

"Sure daddy…" She put away the med kit she had pulled out and sat up properly in her seat. Still wearing her white T-shirt and bicycle shorts, she didn't bother to change as yet, because of her state. Hercule smiled and walked in, dressed in a brown bathroom robe and wearing striped pajamas underneath. He stood by his daughter who sat where she was, looking up at the physically taller man.

Hercule furrowed his brow when he saw the state his daughter was in, but still had a smile on his face. The raven haired girl had a lot of bandages on, and a cotton pad with wrappings. All in all, she looked alright. "Heh…the Imperial Silver Hotel huh? Was it rough?" he asked. Videl nodded, a little ashamed.

"Yeah, I really have to watch myself. Those brutes are mean on the bones," she replied, stretching her shoulders out. Hercule was amused at his daughter's endurance and stamina. However he was still concerned for her safety. But this wasn't why he came in here. It was of a different reason concerning a certain gold haired fighter he saw on TV.

He crossed his arms and stared at her more seriously, making Videl think she had done something wrong. "Listen sweetie, about that hotel incident. I was watching the live news at the time and uhh…they said something about the 'Gold fighter' character. I've been hearing a lot about him. They say that he pulls a lot of fancy tricks and stuff like that. They also said that he was there and that you were with him. I also saw the scene they had caught on camera with the two of you…kissing. Have you…got anything to say for yourself?"

Videl gulped and rubbed her cheek with her finger. She looked down, blushing. Even though her father despised the fact of her hanging around with guys, this turned out to be a very serious matter. The tone of his voice and the way he was glaring at her really made her feel uncomfortable. She looked back up at him, a nervous expression in play. "Dad…the Gold fighter isn't that bad a guy. People may be saying bad stuff about him but it's not true. In fact just today he saved my life. And well…" she looked away, a deeper blush imprinting on her cheeks. "I really like him…"

Hercule flinched, his eye twitching. "I see. And you've known him for how long…?" Videl looked back up at him, a little puzzled by this question.

"Only two days…"

Her father nodded. "And why haven't I met him yet?" Videl shrunk a little in her seat. She knew what was coming.

"Because you don't allow boys to hang around me for my own safety and that I'm not supposed to date unless the guy I'm seeing is as strong as you…" Hercule nodded affirmatively.

"Exactly!" Videl's expression saddened and she looked up at her father. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

"But dad, that's just the problem. You won't let me date any guy unless they are as strong as you. As far as you know, there is no one on this planet stronger then you. You're so worried about me that you go to such extreme lengths to protect me. It's ruining my life! Can you at least let me date one guy? Just one…" Hercule tapped his finger on his bicep and raised an eyebrow. He looked really impatient.

"Videl, I'm only doing this for your own good. I don't want to lose you like I did your mother. Ever since then I could never let you go out on your own or even have you exposed to any of today's filth, especially with freaks like the Gold fighter." Videl was shocked. She stood up, her chair falling over.

"Daddy, he's not a freak! How can you say that?!" Hercule held his hands up; easing back at the intense glare his daughter was giving him.

"OK Videl, I'm sorry. But, you saw what the guy can do! It's crazy! Inhumane almost! People are starting to ask questions. Like just half an hour ago a reporter and a TV crew just knocked on the gate wanting to ask about you and the Gold fighter. How did you ever meet him? No…better question, how can you like him? You've never shown this much fondness towards someone. Not even your friend Sharpener," Hercule explained, rubbing the back of his head in remembrance to the blonde haired jock coming over with the other girl, Eraser. Videl placed her hands behind her and looked at the floor, her cheeks still flushed. She smiled softly, knowing exactly why.

"I like him because: he's handsome, he's strong, he's smart…and inside I know he's as kind as any man on this planet," Videl said. She looked up at her father, seeing him giving her an odd look. The girl grinned. "The rest I keep secret. I know him better then anyone else…"

"And…this guy goes to your school..?" Videl shrugged.

"Maaayyybeee…"

Hercule glared down at her. "So you tell me everything you said is all about the Gold fighter?" Videl shook her head.

"No, it's about someone else," she replied sarcastically. Well, she half lied, half told the truth. She didn't know what to say but reply in kind. She then glared at her father. "Of course it's about him, who else!"

Hercule rubbed his chin again, staring at her with thought. "Hmm…well, from what you've told me he sounds like quite the gentleman. But it still strikes me as kind of an ironic coincidence that he bears a similar resemblance to those guys at the Cell games. Is there anything you want to add to that, because I don't want some alien or something hanging around with my daughter?!" Videl shook her head. She didn't want to reveal what she knew just yet. It might lead to another lecture or another argument.

"No, it's just something he can do. Like I said, he's strong…"

Her father took a moment to think about this. After what he had seen on the news, he was more then inclined to keep Videl indoors and away from the eyes of civilians for a while. He also wanted to forbid Videl from seeing this Gold fighter character. But he couldn't do that. He couldn't control his daughter all the time. She had so many friends, some of them he didn't even know. Who knows who else her daughter has taken a shine too. Because it was her business and hers alone, he was not going to pry. However, he was still a bit concerned about the matter. It was at times like this he would always look to the guidance of his wife and what she would do and say. She knew how to raise their daughter well and knew what was best for Videl.

Videl waited patiently for her father to reply. He sure was taking his time that was for sure. She was hoping he wasn't going to be putting up anymore rules. She was trapped enough as it is. She frowned, looking at her father with upset. "Mom would have given me a chance…"

This seemed to give Hercule the boost he needed. He smiled and placed his fists on his hips. He still kept up the tough look, making a real good impression of himself.

"OK. Alright then!" he shouted, making up his mind at last. "Videl, you're asking for one chance…right…one chance. If you really like this guy, you can date him. But make sure it's not someone with spiky, blonde hair, I'm allergic to a certain type of hair care product." Videl's face lit up immediately. Hercule then looked at her sternly. "But hear this Videl. If that boy breaks your heart, then don't come crying to me because I told you so. You've been warned. And if he's a trouble maker, then he'll get what's coming to him. No one messes with my daughter!"

Videl scowled at her father. "Dad, you know its bad publicity for you to go around and beat people up…" Hercule smirked.

"Only if it's for a good reason…" He reached up and patted her daughter on the head. Videl smiled, seeing her father smile down at her. "You take care of yourself, OK. I'm counting on you to do so. Remember, one chance, one man; and if he breaks up with you, no more chances." Videl nodded affirmatively, seeing her father give her a final ruffle before turning around and walking out of the room. Hercule bid his daughter goodnight before closing the door behind him.

Videl smiled happily. She grinned. One chance was all she needed, and she was going to make the most of it. Just as she was turning back to continue patching herself up, her bedroom door reopened and Hercule's head popped around. Videl glanced over, caught a little by surprise. Her father stared at her with a funny look.

"Oh and uhh…about your jet-copter…I think we'll have to get you a new one. I can't spare any more of my other vehicles. They're only for luxury and transportation, not for high risk jobs." Videl stared for a moment then shrugged in a suggestive way.

"Well…can we go to Capsule Corp tomorrow and get one? I hear they have a new model on the line." Her father nodded.

"Sure sweet pea. But we're going to have to go at around 12. You're going to have to be excused from school early cause I've got a meeting with the Mayor about the hosting of a city tournament at my gym. How does that sound?" Videl grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

"OK dad. Can I bring a friend along with me?" Hercule tilted his head in a pause for thought.

"It all depends on who you bring. You'd better hope that this friend of yours is well-mannered. I'm not bringing anyone who will make a mockery of the Satan name," Hercule replied. Videl smiled, rather confidently.

"You have nothing to worry about dad. Thanks."

"That's OK dear. Well…good night," he said, closing the door.

"Good night, dad!" Videl called just as her door clicked closed. When it did, she was now free to get back to patching herself up. A very cheerful smile was drawn up on her face all throughout the time she was applying the bandages. She knew exactly who she was going to ask out…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	10. Going Out

DRAGONBALL Z

STEP BEHIND HUMANITY

**GOING OUT**

Chapter 10

_**Morning…**_

_**Orange Star High school**_

It was recess now, and so far, the school day was passing by smoothly. The first lesson had Science for Gohan's class, and it surprisingly went quite well. But finally, after what seemed like hours of sitting around doing work, the class was over and the students could finally settle down to some relaxation time. After grabbing their lunches, every able-bodied student filtered out of the main building and out into the courtyards and oval. The air was once again filed with the sounds of freedom.

The students outside were walking about, having their recess and talking with friends. Any subject they could pull out of the blue, they would talk about. However, the thing they were talking about wasn't just something way back or sudden, it was something more recent. It started ever since the news hit the big screens. To no surprise, everyone was talking about Videl and the mysterious Gold fighter, the subject related to the Imperial Hotel after incident. Guess word spreads faster then normal when it came to the Satan's.

Boys and Girls of all classes were hanging around in pairs, groups of three, four, and five or in great masses. And all of them were socializing in animated discussions. They shared a few laughs about the subject, something even changing it so that it conversations didn't turn sour or get too dull. There was a lot of talk amongst the jocks and girls, all of them walking and talking about this, even while playing football or soccer. An example of a particular pair in total discussion came in the form of Sharpener and Eraser. Both of them were hanging around the courtyard at the table under the shade of a tree. Many other groups were walking by them, not really taking notice. The blonde haired teenagers didn't really care.

"Can you even believe it, Sharpie? First Videl has a grudge against the guy and now she's suddenly kissing him! What is up with that?" Eraser asked the muscular jock standing beside her seat. Both of them were thoroughly confused. This was a good reason to why Sharpener could only shrug and shake his head.

"I don't know Eraser. The system is all messed up. There is just something wrong with that girl," Sharpener blankly replied, looking over at his long time friend. Eraser nodded in agreement.

"Yeah I mean, wow. What a strange development. I've never seen Videl like this, not since grade school. Ever since the Gold fighter showed up, she's been acting all…well…out of character," she continued, looking at the ground and propping her head on her hand with her elbow smacked onto the table top. She sighed. "Some people just can't make up their minds about these sorts of things." Sharpener chuckled.

"Definitely. Videl has got a _lot_ of guy trouble on her hands. First there is the Gold fighter, then there is Gohan! What, she can't make up her mind between the two of them!" Sharpener shouted in exasperation. Eraser looked over at him with a bored look.

"Oh come on Sharpener, you barely even had one girlfriend in your life. Videl doesn't count because she hates you for your arrogance, overconfidence and lack of proper social behavior. You ought to be considered as abnormal yourself, second place to the Gold fighter," Eraser commented. Sharpener thumbed at his chest.

"And I am shocked by the fact that she picked that Gold haired freak over me. Maybe if I try hard enough, I can become as freaky as the Gold fighter and win Videl over," Sharpener shouted. Eraser shook her head.

"Don't even try Sharpener; she's way out of your league. Believe me, we've been best friends since…well…ever!" the girl said in response to Sharpener's outbursts.

Sharpener crossed his arms and scowled down at her. "Oh sure, 'she's way out of my league'. You know, sometimes I disagree with your judgment. Videl must realize that Gohan and the Gold fighter are way out of her league. Who else can she possibly go with, I mean, Gohan doesn't even let her near him!" Eraser looked up and snorted.

"Oh yeah, well explain that," Eraser replied, pointing out towards the empty spaces of the courtyard where a group of students have parted. Following Eraser's finger, Sharpener's mouth almost hit the ground when his eyes fell upon the most astonishing sight. Eraser smiled lowly in satisfaction when she saw Videl and Gohan walking side by side across the area, heading in the direction of the trees rounding the West side of the oval. Videl was in deep talk with the young man while Gohan was listening with that ever serious expression imprinted on his face. It was also noted that Gohan was wearing a new outfit. This time he wore a tight, long sleeved, blue T-shirt, jeans with knee rips and sport shoes. Sharpener could not believe his eyes.

"Look, there goes Mr. Steel-face and future Mrs. Son now. Ohhhh…those two look so cute together," Eraser exclaimed softly. Sharpener was speechless. He just stood there, dumbly, staring at the pair with wide eyes and an open mouth. His arms fell limp at his sides and his body was hunched, leaning forward ever so slightly. The state of disbelief is as entertaining as the deer-caught-in-the-headlights look.

Walking together, Videl and Gohan were pretty much enjoying themselves. However, Gohan was a bit taken aback by Videl's closeness, energy and enjoyment. He was aware of how fond she was of him, but the fact that she liked him so much was just…strange to him. Still cold and steely as he was, he didn't want this to escalate any further. It was a lot harder for him to endure since they were in public. Videl couldn't care less. She was with Gohan, and that was all that mattered to her. Her attraction to him has grown stronger then ever before.

"…it was a lot of fun if I do say so myself. The robbers got what they deserved. That was perhaps the most successful operation I had ever had the privilege of participating in. The police were really impressed. You should have been there Gohan. But I…suppose you don't enjoy fighting crime as much as I do," Videl said, looking up at the young Saiyan who was looking directly ahead of him. His expression was still cold and it seemed like he wasn't listening, but he was. He looked down at Videl when she finished, seeing her bright smile and sparkling blue eyes. He shared a small smile too before responding in kind to Videl's story.

"After what I've been through already, it doesn't compare to what you have done for the city. You are still the expert at it, if not still a little careless. I may have enjoyed the little rounds so far, but fighting criminals is not just something to enjoy; it is also something contemplate on. The reasons why they do it and why you stopped them is something you should really focus on in the end. It helps you develop a better understanding of your foes," Gohan said. Videl looked at him in surprise.

"Really? Wow, I never thought of it like that. All I ever concentrated on was getting stronger afterwards, so that things like that appear easier to me," Videl said. Gohan nodded, looking ahead of him again with that same smile.

"Well…that works too," Gohan replied. "But you have to know who you're dealing with. If you only focus around your own abilities and limits, you never know what your opponent is capable of pulling out. If you take some time to look at what you have already been through and see what the enemy has done to become more superior to an ordinary person, then you will be able to overcome them quickly without the costs that usually accompany it. Believe me, I've had my share of consequences and fights," Gohan continued. He flexed the finger of his left arm, making a point mainly to himself as a reminder. Videl just stared up at him as they proceeded to walk underneath the shade of trees lining the oval.

Soon enough, the pair of them sat themselves down underneath one of them. Gohan let out a sigh as he slid down one of the tall growths, his right leg stretched out and left leg pulled up to him. Videl knelt beside him, her hands on her lap and her eyes still intently locked onto him. Gohan lifted his left arm and laid it to rest over his own lap, his fingers relaxed. Though he felt no tension or gear grinding whatsoever, the arm was always heavier then his other arm. Even when he woke up he found it harder to move around.

After resting back, Gohan closed his eyes and laid his head back. Videl saw that he looked a little tired, or maybe it was just her. The young Saiyan opened his eyes once more after basking in the shadows for a few moments then continued to speak. "My past is of no concern to you. It's best left alone…"

Videl nodded. "Uhh…OK…"

Silence followed this rather awkwardly placed conversation, with the exception of laughter and chattering echoing in the background from the oval. But how much more interesting can this get? Two of the school's most hard to get students walking around side by side and sharing some descent words with each other? Now this made a very interesting topic to talk about. Still, no matter what everyone else thought, the two of them continued to enjoy themselves. Gohan just lay where he was with Videl kneeling beside him, both of them basking in the shadows and sharing the sweet scents of everything around them. Finding the position she was in just a little too discomforting, Videl switched positions and lay against the same tree Gohan was under. Now side by side, more peace could be harvested from the quiet time.

Figuring she'd better ask him sooner or later, Videl decided to jump the gun now. "Hey uhh…Gohan…"

"Mmm," Gohan mumbled his reply.

"I…I was just wondering. Umm…you know my jet-copter and…how it got destroyed the other day? Well, my dad is taking me to Capsule Corp. at noon today to get me a new one. If it isn't too much to ask…I mean, if you're not doing much work…uhh…would you like to come with me?" Videl said, trying to get a clear message through her stammering. Her cheeks glowed a little red from embarrassment, as she also found it hard to say it to the guy she liked. Gohan's eyes shot open and he glanced over at Videl, a little caught off guard.

"I…uhh…today…Capsule Corp," Gohan stammered, the words falling off his insecure tongue. Videl nodded with a bright smile on her face.

"Yeah. I mean…" Videl looked away, looking a little bashful and shy. She glanced back up at him again; giving him one of the prettiest looks he had seen her use so far. "…that is…only if you want to…"

Gohan's lips curled and his brow furrowed in consideration. He knew quite a lot of people at Capsule Corp. And by a lot, he meant a lot! Bulma, Vegeta, Trunks, Mirai (not present), Bulma's parents, Cindy, Trent, Carter…perhaps everyone who oversaw his operation and who he had had the pleasure of meeting when he was much younger. He could bet that Goten was there too. This had to be one of the toughest decisions of his life. It was compulsory that he stayed at school. But he already knew everything they were teaching, and it was more boring then fighting one on one with Frieza at this point. His mother might be a bit edgy about him leaving early. Then again, she is more then pleased that he had a 'girlfriend'. He bit his bottom lip when that thought came into his head. He and Videl were still beyond that point. Yet, he felt he should make a good impression. She meant as much to him as his younger brother he had always watched out.

His mind was tumbling into a cyclonic mind storm. Many other thoughts flew by unaccounted, but he didn't care. The only thing that concerned him was if Videl found out about his cybernetic arm…or the possibility that Goten and Trunks pulled off one of their pranks again. He shook it off, knowing he had nothing to fear of this. Videl waited eagerly for his answer, watching him look away and think, his eyes tightly shut. Then, the obviousness that he had already made up his mind came into light. Like always, he was never one to disappoint.

He sighed and nodded slowly. "Alright…I'll go with you…"

Videl let out a joyful laugh and leapt at him, incasing him in a tight hug around his arm and chest. Gohan gasped and fell back, causing Videl to fall on top of him. Even though their position was a bit…well…strange, perhaps in the eyes of others, Videl just hugged him and rubbed her cheek into his chest. Gohan tried to keep his distance (like he had a choice).

"Oh, thank you, Gohan! Thank you…"

The young Saiyan chuckled inaudibly with a hint of nervousness and wrapped his right arm around her, returning the hug. His left arm felt more real then ever now. At this proximity with Videl, there was that strong possibility. Gohan just sighed and waited till the hug ended. Some time today would be nice…

TO BE CONTINUED…


End file.
